Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
by l0x0r
Summary: AU. Twilight Sparkle travels to Canterlot to investigate why Princess Celestia has been acting distant lately. Faced with a harsh discovery, she finds a new friend in Princess Luna. But can their new friendship survive Luna's insecurities?
1. Part 1

I don't own My Little Pony. Nor do I own the song from Gerry and the Pacemakers from which I stole the title.

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><p>It was a perfect spring day in Ponyville. Warm and temperate thanks to the dedication of Princess Celestia and the weather pegasi. Under the gentle sunlight the citizens of Ponyville contentedly went about their daily lives. Well, most of them at least.<p>

Despite the fine day, Twilight Sparkle was feeling a bit troubled, though she couldn't pinpoint the exact reason why. Actually, she could, but she much preferred not to think too deeply about the problem. It was just too … problematic.

It wasn't that life had been hectic as of late, far from it in fact. For the past few months life in Ponyville had been decidedly quite. While Twilight, with the help of her friends, had learned many valuable lessons about the magic of friendship, they hadn't been on any grand, death defying adventures lately. Just quiet, normal, everyday adventures which might not have seemed important to Equestria at large, but would never be forgotten by six ponies who lived in Ponyville.

Even the previous winter had been mild and relatively uneventful. The latest winter wrap up had been smooth and efficient under Twilight's administration. In fact Twilight had been so proud of how well she had handled that year's winter wrap up that she had written a rather voluminous letter to Princess Celestia detailing her intricate plans and dedicated oversight. That had been the start of Twilight's slight discontent. The reply she had received from the princess had been polite and full of support, but Twilight had felt like it had lacked a certain element which was the hallmark of a letter from Princess Celestia.

Twilight wasn't sure what that element was exactly, since she hadn't ever noticed it until it was absent, but as the weeks and months progressed, Twilight couldn't help but feel that it never reentered Celestia's replies to her reports on friendship. The princess' letters had for the most part become brief, only a few sentences long. They always praised and encouraged Twilight, but their brevity wasn't like the teacher Twilight knew so well.

So, on this perfect spring day, while her friends were occupied with personal projects they had assured her they didn't need her help with, and while Spike was minding the library, Twilight set out for Canterlot. She had a vague feeling that something had changed between her and Celestia, and she wanted to surprise her mentor, to catch her in a candid situation so she could easily find out what the matter was. So Twilight hadn't written to the princess asking for a chariot, but instead had decided to rely on her own hooves.

The road to Canterlot by hoof was long, and the warm spring sun became quite hot as Twilight walked its dusty length. But, thanks to her research, she knew the benefit of pacing herself, and had packed plenty of water and energy efficient snacks in her saddle bags. She only broke a light sweat on the way to Canterlot, but due to her sedate pace, it was late afternoon, almost evening when she arrived at the terrestrial entrance to the grand city.

It had been quite some time since her last visit to her home town, but it didn't appear as if too much had changed. As she made her way deeper into her formerly familiar haunts, Twilight experienced several brief bouts of nostalgia, but she fought back the memories. She was on a mission to find Princess Celestia, and she had a good idea of where she was. It was the time of day that Princess Celestia normally reserved for lessons at her school for gifted unicorns, so Twilight bent her steps toward that well known institution.

She passed by lecture halls and classrooms, most deserted, but all filled with remembrances of her time in school, learning how to control the enormous gift that she possessed. It was in one of the smaller, more personal classrooms intended for practical magical applications that Twilight found Princess Celestia. As she had expected, Princess Celestia was teaching a lesson in magic, but unlike the small class Twilight had imagined, she found Celestia sequestered with a single student.

It was a young, pale red unicorn with a scarlet and slightly curly mane. She seemed barely older than a filly, although she did have a cutie mark, a comet with an arched tail. She and Princess Celestia were in the midst of an early exercise in magical control. The young unicorn was levitating six identical appearing metal balls, each with a different density and thus weight. It had taken Twilight nearly a week to keep the heaviest of the balls off the ground while keeping the lighter ones from bouncing off the ceiling.

The little unicorn was staring at the metal spheres with rapt attention, a droplet of sweat slowly tracing its way down her cheek. All six spheres were levitating at about her eye level, and were all almost perfectly still. There were a few wobbles, but still it was an impressive feat for a pony so young.

"That's wonderful, Bay Breeze, you've improved a great deal," Celestia said encouragingly.

The six metal spheres slowly lowered to the recessed divots in the floor made for them. No longer concentrating on them, the young mare looked up to her mentor and joyfully replied, "Oh thank you Princess Celestia! It's all thanks to your wonderful teaching."

"Don't discredit your own hard work and dedication, Bay Breeze," admonished Princess Celestia. She looked down with a softly bemused smile at the small unicorn. It was a smile, a look, that Twilight Sparkle had seen hundreds of times, and had been cherished by her each time. It was a look of pride and gentle affection, of love. A look a mother might bestow upon her child after an accomplishment that was exceptionally important to their offspring. It had never failed to kindle a loving warmth in Twilight.

But Princess Celestia shouldn't be showing that look to anypony else. It was a look that had always been private between them, an act of communication that was special to her and Princess Celestia. It was supposed to be a reward for Celestia's favorite and most special student, her, Twilight Sparkle. To see Princess Celestia bestowing it upon somepony else …

Twilight's analytical mind couldn't help but begin to put the pieces into place. The feeling and length of Princess Celestia's letters had become lacking, she hadn't personally visited Twilight in months at least. Now in addition to these signs of neglect, Twilight had found Princess Celestia personally tutoring a new student and bestowing upon her the praise that should belong solely to Celestia's most faithful student. The conclusion was as obvious as it was unpleasant. She had been replaced.

Somehow Twilight had done something to displease or disappoint Princess Celestia, and was no longer her star pupil, but simply a part of the common herd. She was no longer the pony Celestia doted upon, but merely one of her thousands of admirers. Twilight could feel a sharp crack shoot through her heart, and she gave out an involuntary gasp at the intense and novel pain.

The sound that had escaped her attracted the princess' attention and she turned to the open doorway where Twilight was lurking.

"Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, what a surprise. What brings you to Canterlot today? I'm afraid that I must have missed your informing me of your trip in your letters. I've been rather busy as of late so I've not been reading them as diligently as I should."

Though her world was crumbling down around her, Twilight answered Princess Celestia's warm greeting with a passable smile.

"Hello, Princess Celestia. No, I didn't mention that I was coming to Canterlot today. It was something of a spur of the moment thing actually. I was just passing through when I saw you, so I stopped for a moment, but I don't want to bother you, so I'll be going now."

Twilight began backing out the classroom's door, but was interrupted by Princess Celestia.

"Oh you weren't bothering us at all Twilight. Please come in and meet a new student of the school, Bay Breeze."

Her withdrawal thwarted by the princess, Twilight's smile became wooden and she hesitantly entered deeper into the room and turned her attention to the red unicorn. "Hello, Bay Breeze, I'm Twilight Sparkle. It's a pleasure to meet you." It was nice to know that the long hours spend studying etiquette hadn't been wasted, and in times of stress her manners wouldn't abandon her.

Bay Breeze was staring up at Twilight with wide and unguardedly sparkling eyes. "Wow! You're Twilight Sparkle, the most famous graduate of Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns ever. I can't believe I'm meeting you!" She quickly closed the gap between them and enthusiastically began shaking Twilight's hoof.

With her pumping hoof shaking her entire body, Twilight confusedly admitted, "Oh, I wasn't aware that anypony knew who I was."

Bay Breeze finally let go of Twilight's hoof so she could throw both her hooves in the air as she exclaimed, "Of course you're famous. Everyone in school knows who you are, the pony who was Princess Celestia's private student, the pony who single hoofedly defeated Nightmare Moon and saved all of Equestria, the only pony to have ever defeated an ursa major. You're like the most famous unicorn ever."

"Well, it was only an ursa minor, and I had help with Nightmare Moon …" demurred Twilight, but she was quickly cut off by a quill and piece of paper surrounded by a pale red glow, nearly smacking her in the nose.

"Can I have your autograph?"

Twilight looked past the blank page to Bay Breeze whose face was full of hope and admiration. How could anypony hope to say no to such an expression?"

"Sure." Twilight took a hold of the quill with her own magic. With deft strokes and precise calligraphy, she signed her name. "There you go."

Bay Breeze floated the paper over to herself and upon seeing Twilight's still drying signature, somehow seemed to become even more excited. "Oh my gosh, I can't wait to show this to the other students. My sisters are going to be soooo jealous!"

Princess Celestia interjected, "And your mother will be so worried if you don't get home soon."

Bay Breeze spun around and stared up at the wall clock in shock. "Oh no, is it already that late? I have to get going." She frantically began using her magic to stuff various papers from a nearby desk into a set of saddlebags that she loaded onto her back.

"It was so wonderful to meet you, Miss. Sparkle." She turned to Princess Celestia. "And thank you so much, Princess Celestia, for helping me with my lesson." Bay Breeze gushed as she quickly cantered from the room.

"It was nice meeting you too," Twilight called out after her.

"You're welcome, and be safe on your way home."

The regal alicorn chuckled lightly at Bay Breeze's antics and turned her attention to Twilight.

"Does she remind you of anypony? She's almost as powerful as you, Twilight, but lacks your dedication for studying. I'm afraid to say that she requires a bit closer attention than you did."

Twilight sighed and closely examined the ground.

"So, my faithful student, did you wish to speak to me about something? I'm afraid my schedule for the rest of the day is rather tight, but I can always make time for you."

Alone with Princess Celestia, undistracted by a fawning admirer, Twilight reluctantly turned her eyes to her mentor, and felt horrible. Unworthy feelings and suspicions filled her mind, but somehow she just couldn't reveal them. Not to Celestia. She couldn't just blurt out her suspicion that she had been replaced in Princess Celestia's heart. She couldn't reveal the hurt and jealousy she felt to the princess who had for so long meant the world to her.

So with an awkward smile, Twilight replied, "Oh, I know that you're busy Princess Celestia. I wouldn't want to take up your time. I just came back to Canterlot to catch up with my friends."

Celestia gave Twilight an odd look and Twilight realized her mistake. "I mean books. The library, yes, I came to visit my friends the books at the library. Of course I meant the books because I don't have any friends in Canterlot, that's why you sent me to Ponyville." She ended her nervous rant with an equally nervous laugh.

Celestia continued to regard her with an uncertain expression. "Yes. Well, while you don't have friends in Canterlot at the moment, perhaps now is the opportunity to make some. I sometimes fear that you spend too much time reading when you should be outside living." She smiled brightly. "Although I wouldn't want to dissuade you from your studies. Having a scholarly mind is something to be admired, but remember all things in moderation. How about we get together tomorrow morning and you can tell me all about what you've learned in the past few months."

Twilight smiled sadly up at Princess Celestia. "That sounds wonderful."

"Wonderful. It's a date then," Celestia called over her shoulder as she swept out of the room.

Twilight's face hurt from smiling so unnaturally but she was afraid of what might replace it if she stopped.

Twilight was nothing if not a realist, at least in her own mind. She knew that all over Equestria today was just like any other day for thousands of ponies. The fact that it just might be the worst day of her life wasn't and shouldn't be a concern to anypony other than herself. Twilight never enjoyed making a scene; she never liked being the center of attention, unless it came from Princess Celestia. Now that she was no longer Celestia's favorite, that just meant that she shouldn't make a scene in front of anypony.

She would just lock her feelings inside her and fix them somehow. So what if Princess Celestia had a new student? So what if that new student required more time and attention than Twilight? So what if she was here in Canterlot while Twilight had been exiled to Ponyville. Wait, had the princess been tired of Twilight for that long? Had she sent her away from Canterlot simply because she had grown bored with Twilight?

Twilight could feel tears welling up thanks to her traitorous thoughts and the pain they brought. She suddenly couldn't stand to be in that tiny classroom for a moment longer. She wanted to be someplace safe, where she felt at home. She chuckled in appreciation of the irony as a few errant tears slipped down her cheeks. Her horn glowed and she teleported to the one place she felt like she truly belonged, the library.

She reappeared in front of its massive doors. The librarians enforced a strict no teleportation rule inside the library proper. They were very particular with keeping track of which ponies were using the facilities.

Apparently they had become even stricter in their enforcement of their rules since Twilight had left. There were two guard ponies flanking the door, neither of which batted an eye at her appearance from thin air. Twilight was a bit discombobulated by the presence of the two guards for a moment, but gathered herself together upon recognizing the sturdy features of one of the guards.

"Good evening Quicksilver, is it alright if I go in the library?" Twilight hoped it wasn't obvious just how emotionally fragile she was.

"Of course, Miss Sparkle, you can go right in."

His companion gave Quicksilver a questioning glance, but remained silent under Quicksilver's stern stare. Twilight didn't notice this exchange as she pushed open the library's door and entered, silently closing it after her.

In the distance the librarian on duty, a grey earth pony with a rubberstamp in her mouth and thick glasses on her nose, looked up at Twilight's entrance. But she seemed to easily dismiss the purple unicorn and bent back to the stacks of books piled in front of her. There didn't seem to be any other ponies in the large reading area, but Twilight wanted to be sure of her peace for the breakdown she could feel coming on.

She turned to the shelves which stretched from the floor to the ceiling, crammed tightly with thick tomes. Further in, where the shelves became older and had been built at different times, they became maze-like in their complexity. Twilight had spent enough time as both a user of the library and as an assistant librarian that she knew where all the dark areas where. The places which few ponies went, save the couples who sought them out for their privacy.

Twilight made her way to what she considered the most secret of the secret spots, the place she had never seen anypony go. The shelves holding the tax documentation for years 480 through 690. From the sheer volume of documents, it was obvious that tax laws had been much more complex then it was now. The dust on the shelves and scrolls attested to how infrequently anypony delved so deeply into this section of the stacks. Assured of her privacy, and insulated from the world by thousands upon thousands of sound absorbing books and scrolls, Twilight sat down on the threadbare carpeting and finally let her heart break.

It hurt. Oh Celestia it hurt. Twilight's tears freely fell, leaving splotches in the previously undisturbed dust on the aisle's floor. Why did it hurt so much? Twilight knew that she wasn't the only unicorn whom Celestia had taught. There were many who could claim the princess as one of their teachers, but they had been mere students while Twilight had been … more.

She had been the one that the princess doted on. The one who would race to the princess' side after every lesson learned, after every accomplishment, in order to be praised by Celestia. Celestia's smiles, Celestia's love had been hers alone, until now. Had she done something wrong, had she somehow annoyed Celestia? Was she no longer good enough for the princess' undivided attention and affection? Was she so easily replaced?

As lost in her thoughts as she was, wallowing in whatever it was that ponies wallowed in, Twilight failed to notice the approach of another pony.

"E-excuse me," a hesitant and quiet voice broke the silence. "Are you alright?"

Startled from her misery, Twilight jerked to her hooves, hastily rubbing at her eyes to ineffectually hide her tears. Ashamed that anypony had found her in such a pitiful condition, Twilight opened her eyes to find Princess Luna standing a few feet away.

"Princess Luna!" Twilight was shocked that not only somepony had found her, but it was the coregent of all Equestria. So shocked that for several long seconds Twilight's mind failed her.

Belatedly though she sunk into the low bow owed to royalty, and from her kneeling position, she attempted to explain, "I'm so sorry, Your Majesty, I thought that I was alone and I was just …"

Luna interrupted her in a slightly embarrassed tone. "Oh, please rise, Twilight Sparkle. In a situation such as this there is no need for formality."

Twilight straightened up, but only briefly met Luna's eyes. "I'm honored that you remember me, Your Majesty."

"Of course I remember you. You're the pony who saved me from Nightmare Moon after all. As well as my sister's most faithful and talked of student. But I thought you were in Ponyville. How did you come to be here of all places, and in such a distressing state?"

Twilight winced at Luna's allusion to her relationship with Princess Celestia, and stared down at that ground as she attempted to reply, "Well, I was … I …" How could she possibly explain what she was doing there bawling her eyes out like some heartbroken filly? She had never read of a similar situation. She had never picked up a book which described what she was feeling, much less why she was feeling it. How could she describe the feelings she had never known were possible, much less had known were harbored within her?

Twilight began to tear up again, this time in frustration over her inability to articulate what she was feeling. Her watery eyes fearfully looked up at Luna and found only calm, patient acceptance. It reminded Twilight of Celestia's all encompassing forgiveness, and she hung her head.

"I'm sorry, but you probably wouldn't want to know, Your Majesty. The reason I'm upset would just seem petty and stupid to you I'm sure."

Luna stepped closer determinedly and answered, "Of course I want to know what's wrong, Twilight. You're special, both to my sister as well as myself, and whatever the reason, if it has brought you to such a state, it can't be nothing."

Luna's tone grew remorseful. "I know all too well what it feels like to hide your feelings because you don't want to burden others with them. But that isn't healthy, keeping all your pain locked away. You simply can't repress what you're feeling without it changing you. So please, let me help. Tell me what's wrong, why you were crying so piteously." Her imploring and comforting tone grew somewhat fearful. "Unless … have I overstepped myself? Should I summon my sister? I'm sorry, I should have realized that you'd be more comfortable opening yourself to her."

She took a step back, prepared to leave and find Celestia, but Twilight stopped her with a desperate, "No!" Twilight softened her voice and continued, "No, thank you, Your Majesty. Princess Celestia is about the last pony I can talk to right now."

Luna awkwardly scanned the nearby shelves in order to not meet Twilight's eyes as she replied, "Oh. Well, is there somepony else I could summon for you to talk to?"

Twilight sighed. Princess Luna seemed to genuinely care about Twilight being upset, and she appeared crestfallen that Twilight was unwilling to accept her help. This was why she hadn't made friends until forced to by Princess Celestia; dealing with other ponies was so difficult. She was starting to feel bad for making Princess Luna feel bad about her feeling bad. It was enough to drive a pony crazy.

Twilight sat back down on the dusty carpet. "Actually, Your Majesty, now that I think about it, you're probably the best pony for me to talk about this. That is, if you don't mind hearing about my meager problems."

Luna settled down close to Twilight and smiled at her reassuringly, seeming to be happy at being of use to somepony. "I'd love to hear about them."

"Well, it's about Princess Celestia … and me, I guess."

Twilight paused, but Luna didn't seem to want to interrupt her, so she went on, haltingly at first, but soon her words poured out.

"A few months ago, I began to notice that Princess Celestia's letters to me had started to change. They didn't have the same … attention, the same affection that they used to. It was as if Princess Celestia hadn't written them with the same feeling she once had.

"I wasn't sure how to bring something like that up in a letter, so I decided to come to Canterlot unannounced and see if I could find out what was responsible for the change in Princess Celestia's writing. And I found out her name was Bay Breeze."

Luna seemed a bit confused.

"Princess Celestia has a new student named Bay Breeze," Twilight earnestly explained.

"My sister has many students…"

"But not like this! I saw them today. Together. And Bay Breeze was doing magic, practically begging for attention, and Princes Celestia, she … she was looking at her! With that look!" Despite Twilight's emphatic gestures with her hooves to illustrate her point, Luna still looked confused. "She was looking at her the way she's supposed to look at me. With pride and, and wisdom and love."

The whine that had unknowingly entered Twilight's voice blossomed into a full sob as she admitted, "And I'm jealous. I'm jealous of a silly little filly who never hurt anypony. I'm jealous because she took my place in Celestia's heart, and it hurts, and I'm a horrible pony for feeling this way. I know I shouldn't be jealous, but I am. I can't help it. I've always wanted Celestia to look at me, only me, and she has, but now she's not."

Twilight finished her tear thickened tirade by hanging her head and letting her sorrow once again wet the carpet. She waited for Luna's judgment. She knew she was being mean spirited and petty. That was why she hadn't told Princess Celestia anything. That was why she had taken refuge in the library where nopony would disturb her. But now that Luna had seen just how ugly she was on the inside, Twilight knew that the alicorn would waste no time in washing her hooves of her.

"So you're upset because you've always been my sister's star pupil until now, and you feel that she's appointed a new star pupil, thus turning her attention away from you."

"Yes," Twilight sniffed out, still refusing to meet Luna's eyes.

"And you feel resentment towards her new pupil at the loss of my sister's favor, but recognize that this animosity is unwarranted, so you're further upset by this. However, though you feel the unjustness of your resentment, you can't help but continue to feel it. Is that correct?"

In a small and miserable voice, Twilight replied, "Yes."

Luna sighed deeply and Twilight tightened her shoulders in perpetration for the inevitable verbal lashing. But instead, Luna shifted closer to Twilight until they were next to one another and Luna gently said, "Long ago, before I was … before I became Nightmare Moon, Equestria was a much different place than it is now. Back then there were no schools, none for magic, none for flight, not even ones for basic education. In fact there were few books or scrolls to learn from. The way ponies learned anything was by having an older, more experienced pony teach them individually." Twilight turned her still damp face toward Luna, who had a faraway look in her eyes. "The ponies who were experts on things were known as masters, and their students were known as apprentices."

"So I was Princess Celestia's apprentice?"

Luna smiled down at Twilight, who suddenly realized that she was heavily leaning against the princess for support as the alicorn's soothing voice lulled her out of her tears.

"Yes, you were. Now, the relationship between a master and apprentice is a deep and personal one. It usually lasted for years and years while the master taught, guided, and trained her apprentice. But eventually there would come a time when the master had taught her apprentice all she could."

"So then the apprentices became masters?"

"Well, no. They became what were known as journeymares. You see, there is something that all wise ponies have which can't be taught or learned of secondhoof, and that is experience. Having a great deal of knowledge is important, but having experiences where you use that knowledge is just as important. But such things can only happen to ponies who've left the shelter of their masters, or their books, and who've begun to face life's challenges with their own understanding as their guides."

Twilight cut her eyes away and sullenly asked, "But what if the apprentice doesn't want to be sent away? What if she doesn't want to be forgotten about and instead wants to stay with her teacher?"

Luna kindly smiled down at Twilight. "Just because an apprentice or a student leaves her teacher doesn't mean that they love each other any less. Or that their relationship is over. A student always has something to learn from her teacher, and will always turn to them for guidance when they encounter a challenge outside their understanding.

"I'm sure that Celestia cares just as much for you now as she ever did. But she's giving you the space you need to grow, to learn, to be your own pony."

Twilight sighed heavily. She understood what Luna was saying, and on an intellectual level accepted it. But it still hurt that her place had been taken by another pony. "Thank you for putting things in a new light Princess Luna, but I still feel badly for being replaced so easily."

Luna unfurled one of her wings and used it to lightly hug Twilight closer to her. Startled at the contact, Twilight looked up and found Luna's reassuring eyes.

"You weren't replaced, Twilight, nopony could ever replace you. You're special, Twilight Sparkle, and don't ever forget that. But my sister has lived a very long time and has a very big heart. You weren't her first student, and you won't be her last. However, just because she's had students before you, and will have others after you, doesn't mean that she loves you any less. Celestia's love is limitless, and she cares deeply for each of us. Even if we might not deserve it."

She turned her head away in remorse and her saddened visage caused Twilight's heart to go out to her. Twilight mentally berated herself over her insensitivity. Here she was lamenting over not being the most important pony in Celestia's life to the very pony who deserved that position above all others.

"I'm sorry, Princess Luna, for bothering you with my problems. But you did really help me, and I'm feeling a bit better." She loudly sniffed. "Really. Thank you for listening to me, and I'm sorry that I was being so selfish."

Luna smiled at Twilight wanly. "We're all entitled to be a little selfish sometimes, Twilight. Just remember, no matter how bleak things are, or how unloved you might feel, you're not alone. Your friends will always care for you, as will Celestia and I." Luna blushed slightly as she looked down at the floor. "And I hope that you'll think of me as a friend as well."

She seemed to finally realize just how close she and Twilight had become, and with a some embarrassment, put a little distance between them. "That is, if you'd like somepony like me for a friend."

Twilight was a bit startled by Luna's abrupt withdrawal, but quickly answered, "I'd love to have you as a friend, Your Majesty."

Luna seemed relieved. "Thank you. I'd like to be your friend too." Her expression changed to one of concern. "Are you certain that you're feeling better?"

"Yes, although I think it might take me a while to get used to Princess Celestia having a new student," Twilight admitted. She gave Luna a smile, one which lacked her usual brightness, but a genuine one nonetheless.

Luna smiled back at her, but her expression faltered when she looked past Twilight to see the long splash of light being cast by a distant window. "It's nearly sunset, I must be going."

However she seemed hesitant to leave, and after a moment of silence, her attention settled on Twilight's saddlebags. "It's getting late, where are you planning on staying tonight?"

Actually Twilight had been so focused on seeing Princess Celestia that she hadn't really considered the fact that she wouldn't be able to return to Ponyville the same day. But she quickly thought on her hooves.

"Well, there are several fine inns in Canterlot. I'm sure that I'll be able to get a room at one of them."

Princess Luna appeared upset. "That won't do at all. We have many spare bedrooms at the palace. I insist that you stay there, as my guest."

"I wouldn't want to impose …"

Luna swiftly cut Twilight off. "I wouldn't be any imposition at all. We're friends aren't we? So as a friend, please let me give you a place to stay for the night."

"Well, alright. If you insist."

"Excellent. As I said, it's almost sunset, so let's go now and if you'd like, you can watch me raise the moon."

Twilight raised her eyes in surprise and felt a thrill of excitement run through her. Despite being the student of Princess Celestia for so long, she had never seen her raising the sun outside of Summer Sun Celebrations. "That would be wonderful."

She gathered her bags as Luna waited for her, then followed the princess out of the depths of the library. They passed the still busy librarian, who gave them only the briefest of disinterested glances before dismissing them.

Upon exiting the library, Luna turned to the guards on either side of the doorway and announced, "I'm finished here. Could we please return to the palace, to the royal chambers?"

Quicksilver replied in his gruff but kind voice, "Of course, Your Majesty." The two guards began walking away, with Luna and Twilight following after.

"I didn't know you had personal guards, Princess Luna. Princess Celestia usually only takes guards with her during ceremonies or functions outside of Canterlot," commented Twilight.

"Yes, my sister assigned me my own personal guard to go with me everywhere in order to keep me safe. From my understanding there's never been an attack on Celestia, so I'm not sure what exactly they're supposed to be guarding me from, but I guess it's just Celestia's way of making sure that I'm safe. They are very useful though. Canterlot is a very complex place, and I'd be completely lost without them guiding me."

The group quickly made the short trip from the library to the palace, passing only a few other ponies en route, who all bowed low as Luna and her escort passed. Twilight noticed that the displays of respect seemed to make Luna feel a bit uncomfortable, at least more uncomfortable than Princess Celestia seemed to feel when ponies bowed to her.

Thanks to the rapid pace set by Quicksilver and his memorization of all the twists and turns of the palace, they easily navigated the labyrinthine halls and arrived at a massive double door. Its thick, ancient appearing wood had both the sun and moon carved deeply into its surface. Their deep recesses darkened by age. Luna's horn glowed brightly and the doors silently opened, revealing an enormous room which glowed brightly from the dying rays of the sun pouring in from windows which stretched from floor to ceiling.

"We'll wait for you here in case you need any further assistance, Princess," Quicksilver informed her. He and the other guard had halted near the doorway, apparently reluctant to enter the royal chambers.

Luna smiled at the substantial stallion and sincerely said, "Thank you." She walked through the door, and after she had given the guards her own nod of thanks, Twilight followed after her. She was a bit nervous though, while Twilight had often been in the palace on one errand or another, she hadn't ever been in the royal chambers before.

She didn't notice the door closing behind her, as awestruck with the beauty of the room they had stepped into. The floor was of a creamy marble, polished to perfection, rosy in hue at the moment from the red sunlight flooding the room. The wall opposite the door they entered was merely a series of tall arches which were open to the outside, their columns were of a slightly darker marble, and had ornate flourishes carved into their bases and capitals. The other walls were covered with tapestries depicting the sun and moon, as well as the symbol of Princess Celestia's rule of Equestria. Two large hallways faced each other across the impressive room and obviously led deeper into the royal chambers.

As Twilight took in the impressive surroundings, they were approached by a tan unicorn mare with a pocket watch cutie mark. She was levitating a clipboard in front of her and seemed relieved to see Luna.

"Princess Luna, I'm glad that you've returned. Based upon the seasonal time table, moonrise should be occurring in t-minus six minutes. Following moonrise there are several matters of state that Princess Celestia has deferred to you, which require your personal attention," the tan unicorn informed them in a clipped, no-nonsense tone.

"Thank you, Gimlet Lime. I'll see to raising the moon immediately. In the meantime, could you have one of the spare bedrooms prepared for my friend Twilight Sparkle?"

"Right away, Your Majesty." Gimlet Lime procured a quill from somewhere and noisily checked something off on her clipboard. She then smartly trotted away, disappearing into one of the impressively large corridors.

Luna sighed as Gimlet Lime left.

Twilight asked with concern, "Is something the matter Princess Luna?"

"Oh nothing, I hope. I just worry about that pony sometimes. She's my chief assistant, and I'm afraid that she takes her job much too seriously at times. I hope that she takes the time to enjoy life every once in a while. But enough of that." Luna turned to Twilight. "Would you like to see something pretty?"

Twilight smiled as she answered, "I'd love to."

"Then follow me."

Luna glided silently across the highly polished floor, and Twilight wondered how she was able to move with such grace. Twilight's own hooves noisily clopped on the same floor, filling the room with an embarrassingly loud echo. But Luna didn't seem to notice what Twilight thought was an unbearably loud sound as she led her through one of the large arches and onto a small balcony without walls. It was capped by a high ceiling which stretched out past the end of the balcony, jutting far out into the air high above Canterlot.

The view was breathtaking, but Twilight wasn't able to appreciate it for very long. "This way," Luna called out to her. Twilight looked over to find the princess at the foot of a staircase carved into the stone wall next to the arches they had just passed through. It spiraled into the rock, and quickly disappeared from view.

She dutifully followed Luna up its narrow and somewhat worn steps which led them eventually to a large platform. It wasn't so much another balcony as it was a pony made plateau. It was so high up, that it was unbounded by any other part of the castle, save a single large tower close by which stretched even further into the sky.

Aside from that, the only other obstacle to their view was the sheer mountain face close by which climbed even higher than the tower. They seemed so far above the ground below that Twilight was reminded of her brief visit to Cloudsdale. The slightly rough textured platform she stood upon seemed to hang in the air by magic, and as Luna led her to the railed edge, all of Equestria spread out before them.

"This is one of my favorite spots," Luna quietly admitted to Twilight.

Twilight was honored that Luna had decided to share such a lovely place with her. "The view is quite breathtaking." And it truly was. Straight down, Canterlot appeared almost to be a map, every street and alley was revealed to them. In the far distance Twilight could see the green fringe which was the Everfree Forest, and could almost believe that she saw her own home. Meadows and rivers covered the rolling hills surrounding Canterlot, and in another direction, the rays of the setting sun were reflecting off the glass of the tall buildings of Manehatten.

"Yes, I often come here to think about just how much Equestria has changed since I…" Luna awkwardly paused, but quickly collected herself. "But I brought you here to show you something even more special. Please watch."

Luna's eyes implored Twilight for a moment before she firmly shut them in concentration. Twilight, moved by the feeling in Luna's voice and expression, did watch her, not even paying the least attention to the spectacular palette of colors which exploded across the sky behind her as the sun sank below the horizon.

The sky behind Luna darkened from blue to indigo, then finally black. A few pinpricks of light, no longer hidden by the sun's brightness, burned into life. They seemed to Twilight as if they clustered closely around Luna's form. In the silent suddenness following the sun's disappearance, the moon burst above the edge of the world. It was full and bright, seemingly larger than Twilight had ever seen it before, and it perfectly haloed Luna. As it rose it leeched away the world's color and flung it into the heavens to sparkle amongst a billion gleaming jewels.

Under the star's cold light, against the backdrop of the moon, Luna appeared to Twilight to be much larger and darker than she had been under the sun. She was briefly reminded of Nightmare Moon, but that unkind comparison was quickly discarded when Luna's thrown back head lowered and turned to regard Twilight. Nightmare Moon's eyes could have never shone so brightly, so guilelessly as did Luna's.

"Do you see it?" Luna anxiously asked. "Do you think it's pretty?"

Twilight Sparkle found herself awed and silenced by the celestial splendor Luna had summoned. Eventually though she did manage to gasp out, "Oh yes. Your night sky is beautiful." Her response caused Luna to smile kindly.

"Thank you. But actually I was speaking of Equestria."

Twilight was reluctant to tear her gaze away from the wonders of the night sky and the midnight hued alicorn who had created them, but at Luna's bidding, she turned to look downward. The land which had been spread out before them mere minutes ago, the forests, meadows, hills, and cities all had sunk beneath an ocean of darkness. But from the depths of this sea of shadows, mimicking the stars above, were constellations of light.

Close at hoof were the bright lights from the windows and street lamps of Canterlot, dispelling a bit of Luna's night and artificially lengthening Celestia's day. In the distance Twilight could see the cluster of tiny lights demarking Ponyville's buildings. Slightly separated from the main cluster of lights was a small trio which must belong to Sweet Apple Acres. Further out, away from the band of darkness which was the Everfree Forest, there were tiny dots of lights in ones and twos signaling farmhouses and other lonely pony buildings. Far in the distance there was a bright glow which could only belong to Manehatten, while Twilight could only catch a much dimmer glow from the corner of her eye which signaled where Fillydelphia was.

"It's quite pretty, isn't it?" Luna asked. Her voice sounded uncertain, but hopeful that Twilight would agree with her.

She had no reason to fear Twilight's reaction. "Yes. Yes, it's quite beautiful. I never imagined- that is, I've seen the lights of Canterlot from a distance, but I've never been up high enough to see so much of Equestria at once. There's so many lights, so many ponies. I never knew."

Relief flooded Luna's voice, and her posture relaxed slightly as she replied, "I hoped that you would like it. I always thought that while Equestria was wonderful during the day, it was just as pretty at night, but in a different way. I remember gazing down at it, and watching these lights slowly spread." Luna's voice lowered, almost to a whisper, as if she were speaking mostly to herself. "There were so few at first, they seemed so fragile against the black void. It seemed like it would be so easy for them to disappear, like you could blink your eyes and they would be gone.

"But slowly, at first oh so slowly, they began to spread. More and more lights shone through the darkness, they shot out in all directions, running free in some places, clumping together in others. One or two dots of light became dozens. They transformed from tiny islands into vast webs stretching out and connecting to one another. I often wondered what kind of world could make lights such as these, what kind of world I'd be returning to."

Twilight was quiet as Luna's heartfelt musings lapsed into silence. She could vividly imagine what Equestria must have looked like from the moon, and was overwhelmed with the haunting sadness and loneliness which seemed to shadow Luna's words.

"So you were awake while you were on the moon?" Twilight cautiously asked.

Luna sighed softly before replying, "Sometimes. Not often, I think. Most of the time that I was Nightmare Moon I've forgotten. What I do remember blurs together into one long moment. But I do remember the lights. I thought they were as beautiful as my stars. I also remember the silence, and the cold." Twilight could feel Luna involuntarily shiver. "I'll never forget the cold."

Moved by the pain in Luna's voice, Twilight instinctively pressed against the other mare to share some of her warmth with her. Luna started a bit at the contact, but didn't shy away. She turned her head and smiled warmly at Twilight, who smiled reassuringly back at her. Together they turned their attention to the landscape of the night. The moon had cleared the horizon, and in the darkness, the separation between the ground and the sky had nearly disappeared, leaving only a field of stars beginning at their hooves and spreading in all directions as far as the eye could see.

Behind them, the quiet cough of somepony clearing their throat split the silence. Twilight leapt away from Luna in surprise and quickly turned around, hardly noticing Luna's near mirror actions. In the pale night's light the colors of Celestia's mane were muted, but still regal. She stood near the top of the stairs they had climbed earlier. The darkness made it difficult to tell her expression, but Twilight's brain catalogued it was bemusement. The rest of her was occupied with freaking out.

"Princess Celestia!"

"Sister." Luna's greeting was calmer than Twilights, although it was still tinged with surprise and perhaps embarrassment.

Celestia gently apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you two. I was just coming up to have a breath of fresh air and enjoy the scenery."

Her calm voice seemed to panic Luna. "Oh no, I'm late aren't I. And Gimlet Lime said that I had so many things to see to tonight. I hope that she's not too upset."

"Please calm yourself Luna. One of the prerogatives of being a ruler is that you can attend to things at your convenience." Celestia turned her attention to Twilight Sparkle. "I see that you're putting the lessons you've learned about friendship into practice."

Twilight smiled nervously, the pain from earlier tempering her joy at seeing her mentor. "Yes, Princess Luna and I met in the library and got to talking. When she found out I hadn't settled on where to stay tonight, she graciously invited me to stay in the palace. She was also kind enough to share with me this wonderful sight."

Celestia regarded the night sky and commented, "It is wonderful isn't it." She looked back towards Luna and in a contemplative tone said, "I never could make it quite as beautiful as you." She seemed to recollect herself. "Speaking of wonderful sights, Luna, why don't you show Twilight Sparkle your room? I'm certain that there is much there she would find fascinating."

"My room? But I don't think she'd be interested in anything in there."

Even in the weak moonlight Princess Celestia's cocked eyebrow was easy to see. "Not even your Made Lx2000?"

Twilight's ears perked up and she almost put a crick in her neck from turning toward Luna so quickly. "You have a Made Lx2000? Those have a practical visual power of nearly one thousand. Only the telescopes at the royal pony observatory are more powerful. You really have one?"

Luna's nonplused reply was, "Um, yes. Would you like to see it?"

"Oh yes, yes, yes. Um, please."

Princess Celestia chuckled at Twilight's enthusiasm. "Well then, I'll let you two have your fun." She moved out of the way and Twilight practically raced behind Luna down the stairs. They passed through the impressive, albeit sterile entry room, and entered the hallway whose entrance was opposite the one Gimlet Lime had taken earlier. The impressive architecture and ornately carved marble continued past several large and solid appearing doors.

The duo came to the end of the hallway and on either side of them were massive double doors which easily dwarfed those they had just passed. The ones to their left were inscribed with a large sun whose rays exploded across both doors and onto the nearby walls. Amongst the rays were stylized clouds, upon which tiny pegasi frolicked. Lower down the doors were rolling hills on top of which were several small unicorns and earth ponies as seemingly happy as the pegasi.

The doors opposite weren't as ostentatious, but were no less beautifully detailed. A large crescent moon was carved into the doors and rested upon a field of stars which spilled down the door and across the floor where they had been inlaid into the marble. There weren't any clouds or ponies, but Twilight thought the door was still quite pretty.

"It's in here," Luna quietly said. She sounded nervous for some reason. With a glow of her horn, the moon themed doors cracked open partially and she slipped through the narrow opening she had made. Twilight followed closely after, having to struggle a little bit when her saddlebags proved wider than the opening. After having pushed the door slightly further open to get through, Twilight paused just inside the door, unexpectedly awed.

The room was a large oval, with a high domed ceiling which threatened to disappear into the shadows left by the few heavily shaded lights spread about the room. The walls were dark blue, while the ceiling was colored dark indigo. Bright crystalline flecks set into the ceiling reflected the light of the lamps, giving the impression that the stars had been brought inside.

Several large windows interrupted the gently curving wall, but they were all covered with heavy midnight blue drapes, which didn't allow even a hint of light through. Between the windows were several large bookcases whose books were meticulously arranged. There were also several pieces of highly ornate furniture, including a vanity Twilight could swear she had seen featured in an old master's painting.

"Wow, your room is very impressive, Luna."

"Thank you. Please ignore the mess; I don't normally have guests, so I haven't cleaned up today."

Twilight ran her eyes once more across the room, searching for the mess Luna had alluded to, but wasn't able to see anything out of place. Aside from perhaps a few casually stacked books on a nightstand next to a very large and modern appearing bed.

"Well, the telescope is over here," called out Luna as she walked deeper into the room. Twilight was a bit nervous about invading Luna's private sanctum, but she obediently moved deeper into the room as well. Behind her the massive door sealed itself.

The floor of the room was covered with a thick and luxuriously soft blue carpet which seemed to massage Twilight's hooves as she crossed the room. A pony could get used to such luxury. But any thoughts about her comfort quickly left her head as Twilight joined Luna at a small raised platform of hardwood that occupied the relatively narrow corner of the room. On the platform was the largest, most elaborate telescope Twilight had ever seen in person.

It was pointed toward the large window which dominated the pseudo alcove they were in. A window which appeared immense despite the thick drapes covering it. Luna stepped forward and grasped a velvet rope with her teeth and pulled it away to reveal a window which curved with the wall and descended all the way from the ceiling to the floor. Moonlight flooded in through its crystal clear glass, brightening the room, but keeping intact the peaceful tranquility which seemed to stem from the soothing décor.

"There we are. We should have a wonderful view of Aponius this time of year." Luna's horn glowed and the protective coverings guarding the lenses of the telescope from dust floated to a nearby desk where they were picturesquely stacked. "Please go ahead, Twilight, you should have an excellent view."

Her eagerness overpowering her decorum, Twilight eagerly accepted Luna's offer. "Thank you, Luna." She stepped close to the telescope and pressed against the eyepiece. The stars making up Aponius suddenly were closer than Twilight had ever been able to see them before. However, they were much less crisp then she had expected. Instinctively she used her magic to minutely adjust the controls of the telescope, bringing Aponius into sharp relief.

She gave out an involuntary gasp and whispered, "It's beautiful." With the stars so close, Twilight could easily see what had appeared from a distance to be a mere red tinge was in fact a brilliant shining ruby. The other stars were yellow, green, and of course white. No longer were they specks in the sky, but jewels ready to be plucked from the black velvet of the night.

"I've never seen them so close." After several long minutes Twilight reluctantly remembered her manners and stepped away from the telescope. She looked at it appreciatively. "It is a wonderful piece of machinery."

Luna appeared a bit embarrassed as she replied, "Yes, that's what they tell me. To be honest though it's the only telescope I've ever had. They hadn't been invented before I became Nightmare Moon. When I returned, my sister provided me with all the latest things she thought that I would enjoy. The bed for instance, it's supposed to be the newest and greatest bed in all Equestria, but I think it's a bit uncomfortable compared to the cushions we used to sleep upon a thousand years ago."

"It does look very comfortable," Twilight commented, turning her attention to the bed in question. It was quite large, large enough to probably fit her and all her friends from Ponyville at the same time. It was nearly chest height from the floor, and the dark violet blanket draped over it looked thick and inviting.

"Perhaps it is, but I'm afraid that I don't have anything to compare it to since it's the only bed I've ever slept in." An idea seemed to occur to Luna and she eagerly proposed, "You've slept in other beds I'm sure. Would you mind trying mine and giving me your opinion?"

Twilight was a bit hesitant. "Um, are you sure you want a strange pony in your bed, Princess Luna?"

Luna smiled reassuringly at Twilight. "You're not some strange pony, Twilight. You're my friend. Besides, if you think the bed is uncomfortable, then I'm sure that I'd be able to convince Celestia to have it replaced with something like my old cushion."

"Well, if it's that important to you, I guess I can try it." Twilight was having a hard time denying Luna anything when her eyes shone in just that imploring way.

"Oh, thank you!"

They both approached the large bed and Twilight's back suddenly felt cooler. She turned her head to find that Luna had taken her saddlebags and was levitating them to the floor near the nearby nightstand. Twilight turned back around to find that Luna had also turned back the sheets on the bed with her magic. Obviously she was a very talented and capable magician.

"Uh, thank you, Princess Luna."

"Think nothing of it. Now then, just lie down and tell me what you think."

Twilight felt horribly awkward as she climbed into the bed and settled down, resting her head on one of the satiny soft pillows just below the headboard. Unfortunately for Luna it was beyond a doubt the most comfortable bed Twilight had even been in. It felt as if she were floating on air. In fact it made her own bed back in the library feel like a cloth covered board.

Thinking about her library quickly led to thoughts of just how far the normally sedate Twilight had traveled that day. Suddenly she felt the full weight of her physically and emotionally draining day descend upon her. Twilight let out a great yawn, which was cut short when she felt the bed's blanket being folded over her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must be more tired than I thought," Twilight said sheepishly to Luna who had moved closer to the bedside. "But this is the most comfortable bed I've ever experienced. I'd better get up before I fall asleep for real."

Luna's expression was full of caring concern as she replied, "You do look exhausted, Twilight. Why don't you just rest there for a little while."

"Oh no, I couldn't. I'd hate to impose any further upon your kindness." Twilight began to struggle to get out of bed, but couldn't seem to gather the energy to move the thick and comfortably warm blanket.

"It's no trouble at all. After all, I don't use the bed during the night. Why don't you rest here? At least until your room is ready."

Twilight didn't want to be a bad guest, but her will to resist Luna's kind offer was quickly fading away with her ability to stay awake. "Well, if you're sure I'm not being a burden."

Luna smiled softly. "I insist."

Twilight settled back down, relaxing into the overstuffed pillow which smelled of soap, sunshine, and something else. Something faint but pleasant. She tried to keep her eyes open and watch as Luna moved about the room, diming the lights, but all too soon the rigors of the day overwhelmed her and Twilight fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

A hot, bright beam of sunlight struck Twilight squarely in the face. She let out a soft whine as her sleep addled mind was threatened with consciousness. She never had been a morning pony, and ever since she had moved to Ponyville and had been allowed to keep her own hours, Twilight had come to enjoy not rising with the sun.

She knew she should wake herself up and set a good example for Spike, but the bed was so comfortable and warm that five more minutes couldn't hurt anypony. Twilight squirmed a bit, trying to hide from the insistent sun, but found her movements strangely restricted. Her quickly awakening senses informed her that there was a strange weight over her shoulder and quarters, and a very warm but soft object pressed against her back. It was about this time that Twilight realized the lulling sound she had unconsciously been aware of for some time, was the rhythmic breathing of somepony. A breathing which was gently rustling her mane and now that she was paying attention to it, causing her ear to flick every so often as the warm air passed across its sensitive skin.

Twilight's eyes shot open and she was confused for several seconds by finding herself in a much more elegant and somber place than her bedroom. Her sleep dulled brain finally began to recall the events of the previous day, the journey to Canterlot, Celestia's new student, her little scene in the library, and Luna's kindness.

To better explain her current situation, Twilight mentally did what she did best, make a list. It was morning; she was still in Luna's bedroom, more specifically in Luna's bed. None of which explained why there was somepony else in the bed with her, and why they were, for a lack of a better term, snuggling Twilight.

Slowly and carefully, apprehensive of what she might find, Twilight turned over in the other pony's embrace and found herself nose to nose with Princess Luna.

Twilight felt that she was doing a decent job at not unnecessarily freaking out over the invasion of her personal space by the coregent of Equestria. Her analytical mind informed her that the princess wasn't wearing her crown, and her hair was in slight disarray, much more than Twilight had ever seen it before. Not that she had seen Luna all that many times, especially not enough times to warrant the position they were in. But Twilight had to admit that with the slight bed-head and with the morning's soft light filling the room, Princess Luna seemed like any normal unicorn pony and not the somewhat intimidating alicorn she normally was.

The tangent that Twilight's thoughts had escaped upon was quickly ended when Luna unconsciously squeezed her a bit tighter. This brought Twilight's attention back to the fact that as cute as Luna appeared, there was still the question of why she was holding Twilight so closely. Of course it made sense that Luna would use her own bed. It even made sense that she was too kind to wake Twilight up and kick her out before lying down to sleep herself. However Twilight was a bit confused with why Luna had decided to be so close to her. The bed was quite large. In fact it looked like there was plenty of room on the other side of Luna. Enough to comfortably fit a pony frame as large as Princess Celestia's in fact, and leave room to spare.

Twilight squirmed a little as she attempted to escape the compromising position before Princess Luna woke up, but her movements must have only roused her more quickly. Luna squeezed Twilight a bit tighter and dreamily muttered something about … twinkle dots? She blinked open her eyes, her face mere inches from Twilight's.

Twilight's awkward and nervous smile was answered by Luna's dazed but genuine one. "Good morning," she greeted Twilight.

"Um, good morning, Princess Luna."

Twilight's strained salutation seemed to fully wake Luna. Her eyes widened and she quickly looked down to where her hooves were tightly grasping the purple unicorn. She gasped and quickly untangled herself, too quickly. Her frantic movements accidentally pushed Twilight away, right off the edge of the bed. Thankfully the trip to the very thick carpet was short.

Luna's head popped over the side of the bed and looked down at Twilight with anxious concern. "Are you alright?"

Twilight was more surprised than hurt. She shook her head to clear it, and then looked up to Luna. "Yes, I think so."

"I'm so sorry; it's just that I normally sleep alone, so I was a bit surprised when I woke up."

"You and me both," Twilight muttered to herself as she climbed to her hooves. In a louder voice she said, "Yes, well, that raises the question why were we sleeping together?"

Luna looked away sheepishly. "Well, last night was rather long and dull, so I decided to take a quick nap when Celestia woke up. When I went to sleep though I assure you I was on the other side of the bed. I must have unconsciously moved over to your side though. Celestia always teased me that I was a bit of a cuddler when we used to sleep together."

"If you were tired, why didn't you just wake me up? It is your bed after all."

Luna looked up at Twilight with innocent eyes. "The bed is so large; I thought we could share it. Besides, you looked so cute, I mean peaceful when you're asleep that I didn't have the heart to wake you up."

Twilight blushed lightly at Luna's praise and was glad that the princess turned her attention to the still open window through which the rising sun's light was pouring.

"If we hurry, we should be able to make it in time to have breakfast with Celestia." Luna's horn glowed and a nearby chest of drawers was surrounded by a glow of the same hue. One of the drawers opened and a heavy silver brush levitated out and over to Luna. As she began to brush her mane, Twilight stretched and walked over to where her bags had been set. She placed them on her back and adjusted them so they sat comfortably upon her.

She checked her appearance in the nearby vanity's mirror and surprisingly found that her mane was only slightly disheveled. She noticed a fine toothed comb on the vanity, and magically ran it through her mane a few times until she appeared her normal self.

Luna left the bed and dropped the brush onto the vanity next to where Twilight had laid the comb. She then retrieved her crown and other royal accoutrements and soon appeared the picture of pony perfection.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked Twilight.

In answer, Twilight's stomach rumbled loudly, and she sheepishly said, "Yes."

They left Luna's room and passed through the hallways of the palace in companionable silence. Soon they arrived at what appeared to Twilight to be a rather normal room compared to the ostentatiousness of the rest of the palace. The only nod to luxury seemed to be the intricately mosaiced floor depicting the myth of Europony. Princess Celestia was seated at a long, low table which was covered with a wide assortment of fresh fruit and breakfast themed baked goods.

"Luna, Twilight Sparkle, good morning."

"Good morning sister," Luna easily replied.

"Yes, good morning Princess Celestia." Twilight's greeting was a bit more guarded than usual. She initially had felt a burst of pleasure at seeing her mentor, but it was quickly damped by the remembrance of their changing relationship.

"Please join me," Celestia invited them.

Luna quickly took a seat at the table, but Twilight was a bit hesitant as she approached the cushions spread out next to Celestia. There was a silence, which Twilight felt was awkward, while Celestia bent down to sample a plate of beautifully arranged sliced strawberries. Twilight thought herself too anxious to eat anything, but her reticence was quickly overcome by the dull pain in her stomach.

She was on the cusp of choosing between the crepes and the cold cereal when Princess Celestia asked, "So, Twilight, did you have an enjoyable evening last night?"

Twilight blushed a bit as she admitted, "Yes I did. Although I'm afraid that I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked with Princess Luna's telescope. I was a bit tired from my trip yesterday so I went to bed early."

"Oh, that's a shame. But perhaps you'll be able to better examine the night sky tonight."

"Well, actually I need to return to Ponyville today. I don't want to leave Spike alone for too long. He is more responsible these days, but he's still a baby dragon."

Princess Luna eagerly interjected, "Are you sure you can't stay until tonight, Twilight? I'd really like to spend more time with you."

Twilight leaned forward a bit to better see the princess of the night and apologized, "I'm sorry Princess Luna, I'd like to spend more time with you as well, but I hadn't planned on staying very long in Canterlot when I began this trip."

Luna appeared crestfallen, but perked up a bit when Princess Celestia suggested, "Perhaps you can return and visit Canterlot another time then. Or perhaps Luna could take some time off and visit you and your friends in Ponyville."

"I'd love to have Princess Luna come and meet my other friends," enthusiastically replied Twilight.

Luna's expression of delight at Celestia's suggestion mirrored Twilights, but was quickly replaced with one of disappointment. "But Celestia, what of my duties? I'd love to spend more time with Twilight, but I'm just so busy."

Princess Celestia kindly but firmly dismissed Luna's concerns. "It doesn't really matter where you are in Equestria when you raise the moon, and I'd be more than happy to see to your administrative tasks. I have after all been ruling Equestria by myself for quite some time.

"And I think it's a great idea for you to spend time outside of Canterlot, to experience more of modern Equestria. It would give you the chance to make new friends." Celestia looked toward her sister with concern. "Honestly I was becoming worried that you were spending too much time focused on studying the history of Equestria. I've never seen you with anypony aside from your guards and attendants."

She turned toward Twilight with a small smile. "Which reminds me of a certain other pony who was perhaps a bit too studious for her own good. Maybe you could share a few of the lessons you've learned about friendship with my sister, Twilight."

Twilight bowed her head demurely. "It would be an honor to help Princess Luna in anyway."

Celestia beamed. "Then it's settled. I'll begin rearranging the royal schedule today and see when it would be possible for Luna to come and visit you."

Both Luna and Twilight smiled at one another, Luna's full of hope, Twilight's full of excitement. The joyful excitement that Twilight felt about Luna's upcoming visit and the thoughts of the wonderful time they would have with the rest of her friends swept away nearly all the discomfort Twilight had been feeling toward Celestia. After all, Luna was right. It was obvious that Princess Celestia still cared for her; she just had other matters which sometimes demanded her attention besides Twilight. Simply because she was distracted didn't mean that she loved Twilight any less.

The rest of the breakfast passed quickly for Twilight. With the dark cloud of her feelings toward Celestia lifted, she eagerly made plans with Luna on how they would spend their time in Ponyville. She assured her new friend that she would love all the ponies Twilight had come to care for, and that there was plenty for them to see and do around her new home.

For perhaps the first time ever, Twilight barely noticed when Princess Celestia excused herself and left to attend to her royal duties. The purple unicorn's entire attention was focused on Luna, which was why she easily picked up on the fact that despite her power nap, the monarch was showing signs of being weary.

Reluctantly they made their goodbyes and Luna left to return to her bed alone, while Twilight accepted her kind offer of a chariot ride back to Ponyville. Before the sun had even reached its midmorning height, Twilight found herself back in front of her library's door.

She thanked the pegasi who had transported her, and entered her home. Twilight had to admit, even though she had only been gone for a single day, it was nice to be back. She took off her saddlebags and hung them on a peg near the doorway, then called out, "Spike? I'm home."

There was a crash from her bedroom, and a few moments later, Spike's scaly form sleepily appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Twilight? You're back already? I didn't think you'd get home so soon."

Twilight smiled good naturedly up at the small dragon who had obviously just woken up. "Apparently." She used her magic to safely levitate him down the stairs, gently setting him down on a throw rug near where she stood.

"So, anything exciting happen while I was gone?"

"Nah, not really," Spike replied, wiping the sleep from his eyes and appearing a bit more alert. "Pinkie Pike came by and invited us to the anniversary of her semi-annual anniversary party for parties she's having tomorrow. Oh, and Rainbow Dash was practicing a new trick, something about a reverse aileron roll. Anyway, she crashed through one of the windows and knocked over a bookcase. I think I was able to put all the books back where they belonged, but if you can't find something, check that big bookcase next to the kitchen. I put all the leftover ones there."

"My, it sounds like you had a busy day."

"Yeah, nothing I couldn't handle," replied Spike with feigned nonchalance.

Twilight began walking toward the kitchen. "Well, since you have things so well in hoof, I mean claw, then you won't mind taking down a letter."

Spike deflated a bit and complained, "But Twilight, you just got back from Canterlot. Couldn't you have just told Princess Celestia whatever it is you want to write about?"

"Please Spike," Twilight asked while turning around and giving him her best Rarity impression.

"Okay, okay." Spike procured a nearby scroll and quill and looked up at Twilight expectantly.

Twilight assumed her dictating pose and clearly stated, "Dear Princess Celestia." She paused for a moment in thought. "Wait, Spike, start over."

"Aw, but Twilight, I didn't smudge the ink or anything."

"I know, but still, I'd like to start over. Please."

Spike grumbled a bit under his breath, but picked up another blank scroll.

Twilight smiled in appreciation at him, then turned her eyes upwards in thought. "Dear Princess Luna …"

* * *

><p>AN

De profundis clamo ad te Celestia


	2. Part 2a

I don't own My Little Pony

* * *

><p>With a sigh, Luna awoke. It was late evening, and despite the thick drapes covering the windows of her room, thin rays of sunlight still managed to invade through the gaps, leaving her room dim but not dark. In the gloom it was easy to make out the shadowy furniture and towering bookshelves of the completely silent room.<p>

Tiredly, Luna turned over and gazed toward the spot where Twilight had slept so long ago. It had been only been a few weeks, but it felt like it had been much longer. To wake up next to somepony, especially somepony as wonderful as Twilight Sparkle had felt wonderful. Luna had been alone for so very long, that to simply see other ponies was a delight. But to touch them, hold them, feel the rise and fall of their chest, to listen to the soft sigh of their breath caused Luna a tremulous joy she couldn't quite describe. How much the feeling came from having such a close relationship with another pony, and how much it was from that pony being Twilight Sparkle specifically, Luna wasn't sure.

The brief time she and Twilight had spent together had reawakened a longing in Luna, one she had thought she had conquered long ago. A longing for a relationship with a pony closer than that of a courtier and a princess, closer than one forged only from duty. She wanted a relationship as close as the one she had shared with Celestia so long ago, but one untainted by her terrible mistakes. Luna hoped, that is, she wished with all her heart that Twilight could be the pony who would fill the hole she had felt for so long in her life. That she would be the pony who she would be able to call a friend.

Energized by her reflections on Twilight, Luna climbed out of bed. She left the sheets rumpled up and the pillows in disarray. Nopony had ever taught her how to fold them properly like the maids did, and the one time she had attempted to make the bed herself, things had ended badly. But the next morning, like all mornings, Luna had found her pillows fluffed, blankets folded, sheets expertly creased, and the singe marks all gone. She felt badly for having somepony come and clean up after her, but Celestia had explained to Luna that they had to bear with it because that was the way the ponies of Equestria expected their princesses to behave. Still, it didn't sit well with Luna that she should leave a mess behind for other ponies to clean up. But perhaps it made them happy, somehow.

Luna brushed the tangles out of her mane and tail, and finished her evening ritual by donning her crown and other royal vestments. As she was checking her appearance in the mirror of her vanity, Luna received a reminder to the fact that she was running a bit late by the setting of the sun. She could feel the ball of light disappearing from the Equestrian sky, causing the light in her room to fade away and for true darkness to finally arrive. Luna closed her eyes and concentrated on her shadow covered crescent moon, pushing it up into the night sky to follow after the sun.

The cold light of the moon was insufficient to banish the darkness from her room, so Luna stretched out her magic once more and lit several of the lamps spread throughout amongst the various pieces of furniture. In their warm, subtle light, Luna checked her appearance one last time before navigating through her still somewhat unfamiliar room, and out the door. Celestia would be awake for only another hour or two, so if Luna didn't hurry, her sister might not have time for her.

With that in mind, Luna rushed out of the hall leading to the royal apartments and was quickly intercepted by her personal assistant, Gimlet Lime. The always earnest unicorn seemed to appear out of the ether as she fell alongside Luna with her ever present clipboard and quill.

"Good evening, Princess Luna. I hope that you've had a pleasant day."

"Yes, I did, thank you," Luna good-naturedly lied. She slowed down slightly, worried that with the clipboard in front of her, the other pony might run into something, but otherwise continued on her way towards the dining room where she usually met with Celestia.

"Wonderful. I'm glad you're well rested, because you're schedule is rather full tonight. Moonrise has been completed." There was a loud scratch as Gimlet crossed off something on her clipboard. "Next, you're scheduled to dine with Princess Celestia for approximately forty-five minutes. Following that will be your nightly news briefing which will likely last for two hours. After which you will hear the arguments for and against the proposed dam project in the Ponysee Valley. Those are scheduled for three hours, and then we'll proceed to the midnight meal, which is being catered by Café Fleur, and is expected to last forty-five minutes.

"Following the meal will be the period of study you wished for, during which we've scheduled a few spontaneous breaks to relax through playing board games. According to the royal statistical data, Princess Celestia should arise at approximately 4:59 tomorrow morning, with a 98% probability she will wake between 4:40 and 5:18." Gimlet broke out of her monotonal recital long enough to impart an interesting fact to Luna. "The last time that there was an outlier, was 324 years ago when the princess woke rather late because she 'just didn't feel like it.'"

They had covered a vast distance through the wide and opulent halls of the palace during Gimlet's recital. "Thank you, Gimlet Lime, that was very … precise." The door to the dining room was quickly approaching, and Luna was very eager to see Celestia, but she couldn't help making an observation, "I wasn't aware that my sister's sleep schedule was so closely studied."

Gimlet looked away from her checklist long enough to reassure Luna with absolute sincerity, "Oh yes, Princess Luna. We try to study and keep track of as much information about Princess Celestia as possible, so we can better serve her. And you of course."

Luna wasn't too sure how she felt about somepony charting her bed time and who knew what other daily routines. "Well, I'm sure that Princess Celestia is grateful for the attention to detail you and the others have had for her, but perhaps you can relax a little you don't have to be so precise all the time. It's not as if the sun won't rise and all of Equestria will be plunged into eternal darkness if you make a mistake."

Her unicorn assistant came to an abrupt halt and regarded Luna with a shocked and almost fearful expression.

"That was a joke," Luna explained, with an uncertain smile.

"Oh yes, of course. Very funny, Princess Luna. Ha ha."

With an apologetic smile that was almost a wince, Luna entered the dining room, leaving Gimlet on the other side of the thick door to do whatever it was she did when Luna wasn't around.

The room was brightly lit by artificial light, almost painfully so. The long table dominating the room's center was laden with food, but Celestia's larger than life figure wasn't seated before it as was usual. Instead she was standing at one of the narrow windows which lined the nearby wall.

"Good evening, Celestia," Luna cheerfully called out.

Celestia seemed lost in thought, and it was a few moments before she roused herself and turned her head to smile down at Luna. "Good evening to you too, Luna."

"Is there something interesting outside?"

"Oh no," Celestia replied distractedly. "I was just thinking about things."

"Nothing too troublesome I hope."

"No. Nothing concrete really. I'm just hoping that the peace accords between the griffons and the dragons will last. I'd hate to have the months of effort and arbitration we've worked so hard on be for nothing."

"They won't," Luna reassured Celestia. "While the griffons are known more for their passion then their restraint, they are honorable. As for the dragons, they've always been true their words. Besides which, the settlement you came up with was fair to both sides, neither could possibly have a grievance with it."

Celestia smiled, but still seemed distant. "You're right. I know that I shouldn't be worrying over it. I'm sure things will turn out for the best, and now that the negotiations are over, I can turn my full attention back to the things which are truly important to me. Now then, let's put aside politics and have dinner, or breakfast, whichever you'd prefer."

Celestia gracefully settled down on one of the large cushions spread around the table and Luna took a seat on the opposite side of the table from her.

"Would you like sugar with your tea?" Celestia asked. She levitated a large silver teapot at the far end of the table and perfectly poured its dark and aromatic contents into two delicate porcelain teacups while she waited for Luna's reply.

"Yes please."

Two lumps of sugar were dropped into one of the cups, and as it floated through the air, a small silver spoon gently stirred the tea. Celestia placed the cups with barely a clink in front of them and Luna deeply inhaled the scented steam. The highly caffeinated and very sweet beverage had quickly become her drink of choice after her introduction to it shortly following her return. She waited for a few moments to let the tea cool, filling the time by appropriating a few rose petal pastries.

"So, have you had time to look over the schedule and decide when I'll be able to visit Twilight Sparkle?" Luna tried to phrase the question nonchalantly, but couldn't fully keep the eagerness from her voice.

"Twilight?" Celestia perked up for a moment before she fully understood Luna's question. "No, I'm afraid that I've been too busy as of late. But I'll see to it as soon as possible."

"Oh."

Sensing Luna's disappointment, Celestia was quick to add, "Now that the dragon and griffon treaty has been ratified, I don't believe that there are any other pressing concerns of state. I'm sure that you'll be able to go on your trip soon."

They were silent for a few minutes, each lost in their thoughts, both only picking at their food. Eventually it was Celestia who broke the silence by clearing her throat.

"Speaking of Twilight Sparkle, I understand that you two have been corresponding with one another."

"Yes we have," Luna eagerly replied. "She's been sending me letters describing Ponyville and her friends, all of whom sound like very interesting ponies. And I've been writing her about what I've been studying, as well as informing her about the news from around Equestria. Apparently the Ponyville local paper doesn't have as broad a scope as the news we receive."

"I'm glad that you two seem to be getting on so well." Celestia paused for a moment in contemplation before she awkwardly asked, "Does Twilight ever mention me in her letters?"

"Of course. She often speaks of the lessons you've taught her, and the many enjoyable times she spent under your tutelage."

"I'm glad. But does she ever write anything more … personal?"

Luna was confused by the odd line of questioning. "I'm not certain what you mean, but I don't think anything like that has come up. Do you want me to ask?"

"Oh no, you don't have to go out of your way, it was just idle curiosity."

They lapsed into another awkward silence that lasted for several minutes until Celestia abruptly announced, "Well, there were a few scrolls I would like to attend to before bed, so I'll bid you a good night, Luna."

"Good night, Celestia, don't stay up too late working hard."

Celestia smiled in gratitude as she replied, "I won't. I know that I leave Equestria in capable hooves every night."

Luna blushed at Celestia's compliment while her sister majestically exited the room through the door Luna had come in through. Alone, with a magnificent banquet still spread out before her, Luna remembered her impending duties and quickly finished one last cup of tea before quitting the room as well. She ran into Gimlet Lime who was patiently standing just outside the door, flipping through the many pages attached to her clipboard.

"Shall we move to the throne room, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, let's go."

They traveled through Equestria's halls of power, vast and opulent corridors which were usually filled with energetic and purposeful ponies. However, since it was night, only Luna, Gimlet, and the echoes of their hoofsteps traveled through the splendid halls.

They entered the throne room through the relatively plain door which connected it to the rest of the palace. The guards flanking it, as well as those next to the throne, and the other entrances, all came to attention as soon as they saw Luna.

To be honest, the royal guard sometimes intimidated her. They were all much larger and physically stronger than her, and their unflinching stoicism never betrayed their thoughts or feelings. Sometimes they seemed like little more than machines carved from stone and shaped into ponies. Thankfully they were all faithfully loyal to Celestia, Equestria, and to her.

The palace's entrance to the throne room was quite close to the throne, so Luna was quickly able to climb up the ramp to Celestia's impressive throne. Even after months of holding reign over the night, Luna felt that the throne was too large, or she was too small for it, to feel comfortable. Gimlet Lime had stopped at the foot of the throne, just beyond the guards. She waited until Luna had settled on the throne's large cushion.

"We're running a bit behind this evening, Your Majesty. But we are still within acceptable parameters. Would you like to hear the day's news now, or would you prefer to attend to other business first?"

Luna took what she hoped was a regal pose and announced, "I will hear the news first, Gimlet. I think I will be better able to make decisions with the latest knowledge of the kingdom."

"Very well." Gimlet bowed shallowly and turned away to summon Celestia's advisor who was responsible for compiling the various reports of interest from across Equestria. It had been Luna's idea that she should be as well informed as Celestia, so she would be able to rule as effectively as her sister.

While Gimlet and the pony appointed to inform Luna walked up the length of the throne room from the entrance where the attendants waited, Luna contemplated the transformation which night brought about to the throne room. The tall, narrow windows were black mirrors, reflecting the lights along the stone walls which were made dim by the enormous space they tried to illuminate. In their false twilight, the ceiling was lost to shadow and the tapestries were darker and more somber than they appeared during the day. In the silence, the small waterfall below the throne, made black for want of light, crashed loudly. On occasion it threw up a cool mist which caused Luna to shiver.

The whole room, guards, throne, shadows, and the endlessly echoing spaces, all seemed too much to Luna. She had never liked their throne room in the old castle either, but she would much prefer it to this one, which was easily five times as large and intimidating. Ostensibly it was her throne room, but too often she felt like a stranger in it, like an interloper. The uneasy feeling it gave her often lasted through the night, and this one was no exception.

The major events of the day were recounted to her by an obviously nervous and quite young assistant to the pony who performed the same duty for Celestia during the day. Thankfully, very little of interest had occurred since the previous night. No conflicts, no murders, no major disasters or hardships. Just the news of simple ponies with simple problems. The mayor of Fillydelphia asking for additional bits to repair the buildings still damaged from their parasprite infestation. A new town had been founded in the foothills of the mountains which demarked Equestria's sothern most border. And of course there were the additional calls for the construction of a dam in the Ponysee River Valley to better irrigate the surrounding farmlands and towns, including the relatively new town of Appleoosa, allowing them to plant additional crops. Unfortunately there was a wide variety of wildlife in the area impacted by the dam, and many ponies felt that it was unconscionable to destroy their homes.

Luna spent the night mulling over the news, as well as reading the transcripts of the arguments both sides of the dam question had presented to Celestia earlier. Both camps had valid arguments, and Luna looked forward to discussing the issue with her sister. She also spent several hours poring over the books she had brought from the royal library concerning the history of Equestria. She broke up her hours of study with several games of chess with Gimlet.

She was in the midst of the twelfth game of the night, when she felt Celestia begin to move the sun. Luna eagerly turned her attention from the game; she had won the past eleven, and was probably going to win the last as well, despite not being a very good chess player. No matter how poor her strategy, Gimlet always seemed to lose. Luna closed her eyes in concentration and felt the familiar cold rush of her magic envelop her. With her senses magically heightened, Luna could easily feel the sun eagerly waiting just beyond the eastern horizon. With only a small push, she sent the moon past the western edge of the world, allowing the sun to break the dark of the night with the reds and purples of the morning.

Luna opened her eyes and turned to her assistant. "Well, Gimlet, the night is over, and it's Celestia's time to rule again. Let us retire."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Gimlet raised her hoof and knocked over her princess on the chessboard. "It seems you've won again, Your Majesty," she commented with a smile.

Luna's replying smile was rueful. "It seems so, Gimlet. Strange how that always seems to happen."

"It's not strange at all, Your Highness. It's simply a matter of having a more effective strategy than your opponent, knowing when to retreat and when to advance."

Gimlet put the chess set away and again took up her clipboard and quill. Several sheets of paper had been folded over the top, Gimlet's heavy hoofwriting bleeding through the backs in several spots. The guards, who had remained as still as statues the entire night, seemed to take no notice of Luna and Gimlet as they left the throne room. Luna resolved to speak to Celestia about them. It couldn't be interesting, or even healthy, to stand so still for so long. Perhaps they should change guards every six hours instead of every twelve.

The two ponies walked through the halls of the palace, and came to a junction of corridors, where a pair of guard unicorns seemed to be waiting for them.

"Princes Luna, Princess Celestia would like to convey her regrets, but she is very busy this morning with affairs of state, and will be unable to dine with you," the darker of the pair informed Luna.

"Oh. Well, if she's too busy to have breakfast, then perhaps I should go speak with her and see if there is something I could do to alleviate her burden."

"I'm afraid that the princess, er, Princess Celestia, gave orders to not be disturbed, Your Highness."

"Oh." Luna was certain that Celestia hadn't meant to keep Luna away specifically, but at the same time, there was realistically little Luna could do to aid her older and much more experienced sister. So it would probably be best if she didn't force the issue and insist on seeing Celestia.

"If you'd like, we could escort you to your quarters, Your Highness," the other unicorn guard suggested.

"I'm sure that Princess Luna can find her way back to her apartments without your help," Gimlet Lime interjected.

The guard turned to Gimlet with a hint of annoyance. "We meant no disrespect, but simply thought that the princess would appreciate an escort."

"The princess doesn't need …"

"Gimlet," Luna cut her off. "Thank you for your concern, but I'll accept these gentlecolts' kind offer. It's been a long night, and I'm certain that both of us could use our rest. You've been very helpful tonight, as usual. Have a wonderful day, and I'll see you tomorrow evening."

Gimlet looked at Luna uncertainly. "Are you sure, Princess?"

"Yes, thank you."

Gimlet sighed and lowered her head slightly. She turned and disappeared down the side hallway her tail hanging limply behind her, and Luna watched her go before remembering the guard ponies when one of them cleared his throat.

"Your Highness, would you care to take breakfast now?"

Luna thought for a moment before replying. She had eaten a light snack a few hours ago during her chess session with Gimlet, and should be feeling hungry, but for some reason her stomach was feeling delicate and unreceptive to the thought of breakfast.

"No thank you. I have no appetite for it, and if I can't see my sister, then I think I'll just go to bed early."

"Very well, Your Highness. We'll escort you to your room."

"Thank you." The guards turned and Luna followed after them, ruminating on just how polite everypony in the palace was. They were always willing to take the time to accompany her places and make sure that she didn't get lost.

In a few minutes they arrived at the familiar hallway leading to the royal quarters, and the guard ponies came to a halt. Luna left them with a parting nod. She entered her room to find it perfectly clean, without even a book out of place. Luna sighed as she closed the door behind her, sometimes her room seemed so sterile, as if she didn't actually live there.

She removed her regal regalia and pulled back the covers of her too large bed just enough to slide beneath them. She pulled one of the many pillows into a hug and tightly clutched it against her chest. It was a poor substitute for the warmth and comfort of another pony, but it was the best she had. With a final thought, Luna snuffed out the lights, and drifted off to sleep, as the dawn's pale light began to slip in through the windows' cracks.

"…ess Luna. Please wake up."

Groggily, Luna left behind her forgotten dreams and awoke to a sound she had very little experience with, somepony knocking on her door.

"Princess Luna, Princess Luna, please wake up now," an anxious voice called through the door.

Luna didn't need to consult her nearby clock to know that it was much too early for her to wake up. It felt like mid-afternoon if not earlier. Dazed, she stumbled out of bed and with her voice thick with sleep, she called out, "I'm awake, just a moment." She managed to make it across the room to her door without tripping over her hooves. She magically cracked it open and blearily peered out. "Yes, what is it?"

One of Celestia's ponies-in-waiting timidly looked back at her.

"Um, I'm sorry to interrupt your rest, Princess, but Princess Celestia wished to inform you that your nightly duties have been suspended for tonight, as well as the remainder of this week, so that you may travel to Ponyville."

It took Luna a moment to fully grasp what the other pony had said, but when she did, a burst of joy surged within her. However it was quickly tempered by a feeling of confusion.

"You mean Celestia decided that my vacation should start today?"

"Yes. In fact, the royal chariot has been harnessed and is ready to depart at your convenience."

Luna's burgeoning feeling of joy was squashed by her senses telling her that something was wrong. It was strange that Celestia would prepare for Luna's trip so quickly after they had spoken, and without any input from her sister.

"Thank you for informing me. Tell me, where is Princess Celestia this afternoon?"

"She's spent most of the day in her study, with standing orders to not be disturbed."

"I see. Well, I'll just pack a few things …"

"Excuse me, Your Highness, but while you were asleep, Princess Celestia already bid us to pack a saddlebag with what you will likely need on your trip. It is already onboard the chariot, waiting for you."

"How … expedient of you. Please give me a few minutes to make myself presentable, and I suppose I'll be ready to leave."

"Very good, Your Majesty. I'll just wait here until you are ready."

"There's no need for that. I'm sure I can find my own way through the palace, and you must have something more interesting you should be attending to then escorting me."

"But Princess…"

"It will be fine, just go ahead and return to your other duties."

"Yes, Your Highness." The smaller pony seemed somewhat relieved to leave Luna's presence, and she quickly departed back down the hallway. Luna allowed her mask of pleasantness to slip into a small frown. All this haste seemed strange to her, something just wasn't right with this picture.

So, Luna hastily made sure she was presentable, and that her royal garments were perfect, before traveling through the palace, not to the royal concourse where the chariot would no doubt be waiting, but towards Celestia's apartments near the throne room where she retreated to reflect and study.

The halls were filled with ponies hurrying about their business, stopping long enough to bow courteously for Luna, before continuing on their way. A pair of pegasus ponies stood guard before the door leading into Celestia's chambers. They came to attention as Luna approached.

"We're sorry, Princess Luna, but Princess Celestia isn't seeing anypony today."

"I'm not anypony, I'm her sister, and I need to speak with Celestia."

Luna stepped forward and the two guards sharply crossed their wings to bar her way. She paused at their audacity, but drew herself up, buoyed by an anger that had slowly been building in her over the months of treatment by the royal guards toward her which seemed just shy of being outright hostile.

"How dare you raise your wings to me! Don't you know who I am? I am Princess Luna, coregent of Equestria, the ruler of the night, and your princess. To raise a hoof against me is treason to the throne of Equestria. Now step aside or face the consequences!"

The two guards looked nervously at one another before hesitantly folding their wings and moving away from the door, leaving Luna with more than enough space to open and step through it. She securely shut it behind her. Safe behind the doors thick wood, Luna let out the breath she had been holding; glad the guards hadn't called her bluff. Truthfully she didn't know what she would have done if they hadn't backed down.

Still a bit limp from relief, Luna looked around for Celestia, but didn't find her in the study she had entered. A room dominated by several tables overflowing with partially rolled scrolls and opened books. A large map of Equestria dominated one of the wood paneled walls. Tucked into the corner next to it was a closed door leading to the next room.

Luna approached it, and as she did, began to hear the muffled sound of voices.

"...needs to be closely watched," declared a deep and masculine voice.

Luna easily recognized Celestia's voice as she replied, "As I've said, that's completely unnecessary. She did make a mistake once, but she has atoned for it. She deserves our trust and faith that she's learned her lesson."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, it was more than a little mistake. And madness in great ones must not go unwatched."

"She is not mad." The ice in Celestia's voice was clearly audible, even through the door. Luna winced in sympathy for whoever was on the receiving end.

"So you say, Your Majesty, but …"

Deciding that she had eavesdropped long enough on Celestia's conversation, and not wanting to continue to listen to the conversation, especially if it was about the pony she thought it was about, Luna pushed open the door to find Celestia seated behind a large desk, facing Captain Blue Blazer, the commander of the royal guards. They both turned in surprise at Luna's sudden entrance.

Celestia was the first to recover. "Dear sister, It's a pleasure to see you so early in the afternoon." She turned back to Captain Blue Blazer. "I'm afraid I'll have to bring our conversation to a close, Captain. But be aware, I am certain about my course of actions. Your concerns are appreciated, but unnecessary in this case."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Captain Blue Blazer bowed low to Celestia, then walked out of the room, past Luna who had moved out of his way. He cast a suspicious glance down at her, although it was possible that his scared face had simply been permanently frozen into that expression. He had served Celestia loyally for over forty years, but he seemed unable or unwilling to separate Luna from Nightmare Moon at times. Luna never felt comfortable around the pony, despite his unquestioning loyalty to her sister.

After the door had closed behind the captain, and his heavy hoofsteps had faded into the distance, Celestia stood up and walked around the desk to nuzzle her sister in a hug.

"And what do I owe this unexpected visit to, Luna?"

Luna leaned up to return Celestia's hug, exulting in the feel of the personal contact. However, as Celestia pulled away, Luna's face fell slightly.

"I believe that you know the reason for my visit. After all, you were kind enough to send one of your attendants to wake me, and inform me that not only were the preparations for my journey to visit Ponyville complete, but that my bags had even been packed for me."

Celestia's face also fell, nearly imperceptibly. "Did I act improperly? From the way you spoke last night, I was under the impression that you wished to leave as quickly as possible to visit Twilight Sparkle. In fact I've already dispatched a letter to her informing her of your pending arrival. She should be expecting you at any moment."

Luna wasn't certain, but she could almost swear that Celestia had put the slightest emphasis on Twilight's name.

"I do want to leave as quickly as possible," she admitted. "But I don't want to go away without speaking with you first."

Celestia turned away and strode over to one of the large windows flooding the room with light.

"What is there that we need to talk about? You are going on a trip to visit your new friend, my most faithful of students, Twilight Sparkle, and I will continue ruling here in Canterlot. Looking after the needs of Equestria, thinking of everypony before myself."

Luna walked a little closer to her sister, but not too closely. The intense sunlight streaming in through the wide open window caused her sensitive eyes to ache as they slowly adjusted.

"You've been acting strangely recently, Celestia, and I'd like to know why."

Celestia stared out of the window for several long silent moments, before she sighed deeply.

"I've been under pressure arbitrating this peace agreement between the dragons and the griffons for the past several months. It would be a terrible to have them descend into a physical confrontation, especially on the borders of our kingdom."

"But that's over now, the agreement has been signed, and if both sides aren't exactly happy, then at least they aren't openly angry," Luna pointed out.

"Yes, but I'm afraid that by concentrating so much energy on an issue which was so important to Equestria as a whole, I inadvertently ignored … certain things which are important to me personally." Celestia looked back to Luna, whose face obviously betrayed her confusion, for Celestia attempted to clarify.

"You know of course that Twilight Sparkle has been my student for many years. She is beyond a doubt one of the most impressive unicorns I've ever known. Not only in magical ability, but in her dedication to knowledge, to learning for the sake of learning. She wants to know positively everything about everything known to ponydom, and to accomplish that end, she's sequestered herself in a library for much of her life. I feared that she had spent too long alone, learning about the world through the lens of books, and not actually experiencing it. Her secluded life has left her more knowledgeable than most ponies, but at the same time, as left her innocent in many ways." Celestia smiled wistfully. "Her innocence and naiveté are quite enduring at times actually."

She looked at Luna almost guiltily, before composing herself. "But I digress. As I was saying, I was afraid that Twilight had spent too much time alone, insulated from the outside world by her books. So, I sent her out to make friends, and to gather the elements of harmony, to fix the mistakes we made so long ago."

Luna winced at the allusion to her transformation into Nightmare Moon, and the conflict which had followed. Celestia either failed to notice Luna's reaction, or pretended not to at least.

"As part of her assignment, I asked her to report on what she learns about the magic of friendship. Mostly as a means to make the transition from her previous life of study to a more social life easier for her."

Celestia lapsed into silence once again, and looked downcast. Luna regarded her sister patiently. She still wasn't sure what exactly the problem was yet, but she would help Celestia in any way she could.

"But lately, they've been just that, reports. Before, Twilight's reports were more expressive, and she would send me letters in-between the reports full of explanations and questions. You could feel her enthusiasm, her happiness, her confusion, or whichever emotion she had been laboring under while writing. But now, she seems to treat writing to me as a duty rather than something to be enjoyed. A few weeks ago, she sent me a document on her efforts at Winter Wrap up administration, over 20 pages long. Yesterday, she sent me a report on friendship which was only two sentences in length."

An edge of frustration had wormed its way into Celestia's voice, and Luna attempted to sooth her by explaining, "Well, perhaps she was busy with some other important task, and only had enough time to jot down a couple of sentences."

"What I learned about friendship this week was that sometimes it's best to speak up and tell your friends the truth, even if you know it's going to hurt them. It's better to hurt them a little with the truth, then to hurt them a lot with lies," Celestia recited from memory. "That was it, no in-depth explanation, no humorous recounting of her adventure, no insight into her life, nothing."

Luna felt a nervous flitter in her stomach. The passion Celestia was exhibiting while speaking about Twilight was revealing the depths of her feelings for the unicorn, and just how much Luna had perhaps underestimated their bond. "It is a good lesson for a pony to learn…"

"Yes. But normally there would be a follow-up report detailing just how she learned her lesson. Probably with diagrams attached, very detailed diagrams." Celestia raised her hoof and clenched it to accentuate her point. "You've never seen such diagrams as Twilight can prepare."

She lowered her hoof and sighed deeply. Celestia seemed to shrink in upon herself as she left the window and slowly made her way back to her desk and wearily sat down. "But now, I fear that she's forgotten about me. That she's too busy with her new friends, like you, to have time for me anymore."

Luna drew a breath to rebut Celestia's claim, but the elder princess smiled a battered smile at her sister. "I don't blame you Luna. It's nopony's fault. Relationships change over time, and I guess I just let my relationship with Twilight Sparkle drift away from me."

The flutter in Luna's stomach had transformed into a full blown queasy feeling. "But what about your new student, Bay Breeze?"

"Bay Breeze?" Celestia looked puzzled for a moment, before she seemed to recognize who Luna was talking about. "Oh, yes, Bay Breeze. What about her?"

"Isn't she your new student?" Luna asked with near desperation.

"Well, she is a student of my school. She's very gifted, but I'm afraid she lacks true dedication. I've been giving her a few afterschool lessons, but she lacks the drive, the passion, the desire to truly learn. I'm sure that she'll be very talented in whatever path she chooses, but she doesn't have that spark for magic that I look for in my personal students."

Luna was flabbergasted. How could she and Twilight have been so wrong?

"But, Celestia, Twilight …"

Celestia perked up. "Yes?"

Luna hesitated. She should tell her sister about Twilight's mistake, about how Twilight had thought Celestia's distraction had been neglect; how she had felt that she had been replaced. She should probably even tell her about Twilight's touching scene in the library, revealing just how deeply she cared for Celestia.

But Luna was afraid.

Twilight's belief that Celestia had abandoned her had been what had driven her to Luna. If the cause for Twilight's distress vanished, would that invalidate Luna's comforting as well? If Twilight went back to adoring Celestia, would there be enough room in her heart for Luna too? Twilight was the first friend Luna had made since Celestia. If she stopped being Luna's friend, that would leave Luna with …

"Nothing," Luna said quietly, turning her head so she wouldn't have to see her sister's disappointed face. "Nevermind. I'm- I'm sure that things aren't as dire as you seem to think they are. Twilight likely has just been busy lately, a bit distracted. Perhaps she is just so busy learning about friendship, she doesn't have time to write about it in-depth. Anyway, I should be going, the royal chariot has been waiting for me for quite some time, as well as Twilight Sparkle. I'll give your regards to her."

"Thank you, and have a safe trip. I hope that you have a wonderful time, and make lots of new friends."

Luna smiled weakly as she left the room.

"I'll try."

Her trip to the Royal concourse seemed longer than usual, as Luna was plagued by self-recrimination. It was painful to see her sister so upset, so despondent. But at the same time, she didn't want to give up her newfound friend Twilight Sparkle so soon after finding her. Besides, perhaps it was for the best. Perhaps it was time for Celestia to let go of Twilight, and for Twilight to grow as a unicorn. Despite her justifications for her actions, Luna's heart was still heavy when she arrived at the royal chariot where a team of guards had already been harnessed.

Surprisingly Gimlet Lime was also waiting for her.

"Good afternoon Princess Luna, are you ready for your journey?"

Luna attempted to hide her inner thoughts with a smile as she replied, "Good afternoon Gimlet. Yes, I'm ready to go."

"Well, if you're certain that you want to go on this trip, then the chariot is waiting for us."

The two ponies took their places on the chariot, and the lead pegasus whistled to the others, signaling the team to take off. Gimlet must have seen through Luna's façade. They were both silent through the short trip, but Gimlet cast several worried glances Luna's way.

The day was bright, and Luna had to admit, beautiful. It was a different beauty from the dark and muted night, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

As the chariot began to descend toward the picturesque village of Ponyville, Luna began to feel anxious. She had been looking forward to seeing Twilight again, enough to hide the truth from Celestia, but was Twilight going to be happy to see her? And what about Twilight's friends, the other elements of harmony, who had so valiantly fought against Nightmare Moon and had freed her. What if they held her responsible for Nightmare Moon's actions? What if they hated her? The only thing that could be worse than Twilight's friends disliking her, would be if the purple unicorn did as well.

Luna's present nervousness and the guilt from earlier must have been apparent. Gimlet looked concerned as she quietly asked, "Princess, are you alright? Are you sure that you want to go through with this trip? We can turn back if you want to."

Luna put on a brave smile for her assistant. "I'm fine, thank you. I'm just feeling a bit unwell from being up so early. It's refreshing to leave the palace every once in a while, and I've been looking forward to this trip for quite some time."

"Well, if you're certain …" Gimlet shuffled a bit anxiously. "If you like, I could take up lodgings nearby and keep you company while you're in Ponyville," she hurriedly suggested.

"Thank you. I mean no offense, but I think it will be more of a vacation if I didn't have any reminders of Canterlot with me."

"Oh. Of course."

Gimlet looked dejected, and Luna was worried that she had hurt the other pony's feelings, but didn't have enough time to properly berate herself before the chariot's wheels contacted the ground. The pegasi pulling them came to a brisk stop in the wide thoroughfare in front of a large tree which had not only a door in its trunk, but several windows amongst its leaves as well. From Twilight's detailed letters, it was obviously her home.

"Thank you very much for transporting us," Luna said to the pegasi as she hopped down from the chariot. While she was levitating her small traveling bag that had been prepared for her from the chariot, Gimlet leaned down with an earnest expression.

"If you're sure that you want to go through with this, Princess Luna, remember that I'm just a note away. Feel free to contact me day or night, and I'll rush over and take you back to Canterlot in no time at all."

"Thank you for being so concerned, Gimlet, but I'll be fine," she hoped.

Gimlet regarded her with an unconvinced expression as the pegasi took off. As the chariot dwindled into the distance, Gimlet continued to watch her until the very last.

Luna looked around her and found that her arrival had drawn some attention. Several ponies had paused in their daily activities to gawk at her. They obviously knew who she was, as soon as she looked in their direction; they would bow shallowly before returning to their business. Luna's apprehension on how her subjects would feel toward her after the return of Nightmare Moon welled up within her. True, none of them were acquiring either pitchforks or torches, nor were they assembling into a mob, but they weren't tripping over themselves to fawn over her as they seemed to do for Celestia. Although that might not necessarily be a bad thing.

Deciding that at the moment there was only one pony's opinion that mattered to her; Luna picked up her bag with her mouth and approached the tree house. She rapped on the door with her hoof. Several seconds passed, and Luna was on the point of repeating her knocking, when Twilight Sparkle, with a hint of annoyance, called out from the other side of the door, "Yes, Pinkie, I'll bring her over as soon as she comes, but right now I'm trying to clean up for…" Twilight's voice had grown louder as she approached the door, and when she jerked it open, she loudly exclaimed "Princess Luna!" in a completely different tone of voice.

Twilight smiled broadly though perhaps a bit woodenly, and a few hairs from her mane suddenly leapt away from the others at an awkward angle. "You're early."

Luna gently set down her bag and asked, "I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"

"Oh no, no, no, I was just sprucing the place up a bit. I love to spruce." Twilight laughed nervously, then seemed to recollect her manners. She stepped aside and eagerly said, "Please come in, Princess Luna."

Realizing that Twilight was as nervous, if not more so then she, Luna smiled at her reassuringly before picking up her bag and entering the tree. She found herself in a spacious but warm and welcoming room. She placed her bag on a conveniently placed table as she contemplated the massive bookshelves which stretched high overhead. Unlike the ones at the Canterlot library, these didn't seem imposing, but were somehow welcoming. Scattered amongst the shelves and tables were various knickknacks, statues, and busts.

"The bedroom is up here," Twilight called to Luna. She was standing at the bottom of a staircase Luna had overlooked in her initial survey of the room. Luna picked her bag back up and followed Twilight up the stairs and into a room which, if possible, seemed even more crammed full of books than the library below. Though it still managed to have a lived in feel thanks to the many personal effects scattered around, such as the saddlebags Luna recognized from Twilight's trip to Canterlot, as well as several unbound scrolls haphazardly perched atop a writing desk, and several books scattered across the floor open to seemingly random pages.

"I brought out a guest bed for you," Twilight said, pointing with her nose toward an alcove above them. "But if you'd like, I'm sure we can find someplace more comfortable for you to stay. My friend Rainbow Dash could bring over a cloud. I hear that they are very comfortable to sleep on. In fact, I'll go get her right now."

"I'm sure your guest bed will be fine," Luna reassured the obviously nervous unicorn before she could gallop out of the room. "Besides which, I never really developed the knack for sleeping on clouds. Rollover once too often in your sleep and you're in for a rude awakening."

Twilight seemed to calm down a bit, although there was still a slight edge to her smile as she replied, "Heh, yeah. I can see how that would happen."

Deciding to stretch some of her underused muscles, Luna flew up to the alcove Twilight had pointed out earlier and deposited her bag on the simpler, more temporary appearing of the two beds. Even here, where most ponies would keep their most personal of possessions, there were even more shelves of books. Luna smiled to herself; she doubted that there had ever been very many ponies who enjoyed reading quite as much as Twilight did. The small smile still on her face, Luna swooped down and rejoined her host.

"What's so funny?" Twilight asked.

"Oh nothing. I was just admiring the amount of literature you have here."

"Well, it's not as extensive as the libraries at Canterlot, but I like to think that the Ponyville collection covers all areas of pony interest, and rivals any other library in Equestria." Her tone turned from prideful to resentful as she added, "Although not too many ponies here take advantage of that fact."

Luna thought that she held in her laughter well at Twilight's expression of displeasure over the other ponies' slight to her books. "Oh, I'm sure that they take pride in the fact that their library is so extensive. And I'm sure they're grateful to have a pony so dedicated to their library. But I'm afraid most ponies simply don't have the same appreciation for books you do, Twilight. Most ponies tend to only read books when they need to learn something new, and unfortunately few ponies enjoy learning for the sake of learning."

"But you like books too, don't you, Princess Luna?"

"Yes, of course. I enjoy novels and poetry, as well as books and scrolls on Equestrian history and science. But I fear I lack the appreciation you have for the more … dry reference books. I was reading a treatise on the reasoning behind the modern weather schedule, and I'm afraid that I've been unable to get far into it. Average dew point this, and seasonal versus cyclical precipitation that."

"Oh, you're reading Sazerac's treatise aren't you? I have a wonderful primer on the history of weather patterns by Lime Rickey which does a much better job of explaining the evolution of today's weather schedule then Sazerac." Twilight leapt into action and barreled down the stairs to the library proper. Surprised by Twilight's sudden exuberance, Luna hurriedly flew after her.

"It's called 'A short history of weather,' and does an excellent job of not only covering the history of weather, but the history of Cloudsdale as well. It really goes in-depth about how modern weather is a product of post neo-formist ideas which advocated the non-ironic inclusion of the forms of weather patterns along with their function."

Not really flowing exactly what Twilight was saying, Luna sat and watched as the excited unicorn began pulling books off the shelves with her magic.

"Of course this was fully supported by the Rainbow Party and, oh that's not it, the Clear Sky Coalition, that's not it either." She was picking up and setting down books almost faster than Luna could follow, becoming ever more frustrated. "And this isn't it either. Why can't I ever find anything? Spike!"

Twilight slowed her perusal of the books as she waited for a reply. Several seconds of silence later and she quietly murmured to herself, "Oh yeah, I sent Spike to help Pinkie over at…" Suddenly all the books which had been floating through the air, crashed to the ground and Twilight twirled around to face Luna with a panicked expression. "Ohmigosh, I forgot. Pinkie Pie is holding a party in your honor, Princess Luna, and I promised to bring you as soon as you arrived."

"A party?" Luna's delight at seeing Twilight so enthused quickly faded, leaving only apprehension in its wake. Luna wasn't much of a party pony, she had always felt out of place at the celebrations held in Canterlot, with nopony she knew there, and nothing for her to discuss with the strange ponies who were. "I'm not sure I brought anything appropriate to wear for a party," Luna demurred.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Pinkie's parties are always laid back, it doesn't matter what you wear, or bring, just as long as you show up."

"But still, I'm afraid that I'm still not that very good at social interaction yet. I'd hate to offend any of your friends at the party."

"Don't worry about that, the only way you could offend any of my friends is by not coming. Or by loudly proclaiming that you are the greatest and most powerful pony ever. And I know what you mean about not being ready to interact with other ponies well. I mean I read a ton of books about interpony communication, and I had thought that I was fairly proficient in it. But when I came to Ponyville, I learned all sorts of things the books had never mentioned. In fact I've become quite the social butterfly if I do say so myself. So there's nothing for you to be worried about, all the ponies here are really friendly."

"I'm sure they are, but…"

Twilight interrupted her, "Please come, Princess Luna. It would mean so much to Pinkie, and to me."

How could anypony resist a face like that? "Alright, Twilight, if it means so much to you, I'll go."

"Thank you so much." Twilight leaned in and surprised Luna with a quick hug before stating, "We should probably go now. I promised Pinkie to bring you as soon as you arrived, and she's probably heard that you landed in Ponyville by now. Sometimes she gets a little worried if you don't show up at her parties when you promise to."

"Well then, we'd better go, I suppose," Luna said dazedly, still stunned by Twilight's abrupt contact.

Seemingly unconcerned with the mess of books littering the floor, Twilight led the way out of the library and down the nearly empty street. Apparently the citizens of Ponyville were already becoming used to Luna's presence. The few they passed gave her respectful bows, but otherwise minded their business and didn't gawk at her. They arrived at a rather whimsically decorated building in the shape of a multitude of confections. Without hesitation, Twilight entered through the building's double doors, and after a moment's pause to take a deep breath, Luna followed her.

Immediately Luna knew she wasn't in Canterlot anymore. Instead of ponies spread out across a vast space, quietly conversing with one another in small groups, unimpeded by the soft strains of chamber music floating from the orchestra, it seemed as if everypony in Ponyville had been crammed into a single room. The music was loud, but not obnoxiously so, and very upbeat. Luna could see several ponies dancing to it, using a style quite strange to her. Several more were bobbing their heads in time to the rhythm of the lower notes. Instead of waiters constantly moving around the room with trays of tasteless hors d'oeuvres, or equally banal cider, it seemed as if every flat surface had been covered with a profusion of food and drinks.

Luna had only a few seconds to take all this in before a loud and boisterous voice called out, "Twilight, Princess Luna, welcome to the Parrr-tay!" A pink earth pony, who Luna remembered as the element of laughter, leapt out from the crowd and bounced over to them.

"Hey Pinkie," Twilight called out jocularly.

"Hello," Luna echoed.

"I'm so glad you two could make it to the party," Pinkie exclaimed while pulling Twilight and Luna into a group hug, the first that Luna had been in since … ever. "Especially you, Princess Lunie. I mean you're the guest of honor and everything, and how weird would a party be if the guest of honor didn't show up? But then again, maybe that would be fun too. We could have a surprise party where there reason was so big a surprise that nopony would know why they were partying. We should totally try that next time! But look, we got you a banner and everything this time!"

The pink hoof fondly wrapped around Luna's neck pointed up to where a large banner read, "Welcome Princess Luna." Although the a in Luna was written in different hoofwriting on a smaller piece of white cloth which had been tacked on the end of the banner which was light blue. Twilight put her head on her hoof and muttered something that sounded a lot like, "not again."

"That's a … lovely banner. Thank you."

"I know, isn't it awesome? Carrot Top and Berry Punch worked super duper hard on it. Oh! You know what we should totally do? Games! Come on, we were just about to play pin the tail on the dragon."

Pinkie Pie eagerly pulled Luna deeper into the crowded party, giving up her hold on Twilight who seemed to be trying to hide her face after seeing the banner for Luna. As they passed several ponies, Luna was pleasantly surprised that they weren't prostrating themselves before her. Instead of the rigid and sterile politeness of Canterlot, the ponies here were all enjoying themselves. Those that did pay attention to Luna merely smiled and nodded politely toward her. Instead of placing her on a pedestal, separated from ponykind, the citizens of Ponyville seemed to be welcoming her not as a princess, but as just another pony. Luna felt her chest tighten, and for some reason tears threatened to well behind her eyes.

"Here we go," declared Pinkie as she stopped in a less densely packed area of the party. "Time to play pin the tail on the dragon!"

"Aw, Pinkie, I told you I never wanted to play that again," complained a small purple dragon who was standing on a nearby table, next to a large bowl of punch. "My scales aren't thick everywhere," he commented while rubbing his flank.

"Okie dokie then. We can just play regular pin the tail on the pony then. Now, where did I put the board for that?" Pinkie asked with a hoof taping her chin in thought. Abruptly she dropped down, low to the ground, and began to sniff the floor like a dog, moving off through the crowd. Luna could track her progress across the room by the expressions and jumps of startled ponies.

"You'll have to pardon Pinkie Pie, she's a bit… eccentric," Twilight said as she joined them.

"Twilight, there you are," the small dragon said. "Rarity told me to get her some punch, but only if it was the kind that didn't stain." He eyed the bowl of dark purple liquid critically before turning back to Twilight. "Do you think this is stain resistant punch?"

"Uh, probably not. But more importantly, Princess Luna, this is Spike, my assistant. Spike, this is Princess Luna."

"Oh!" Spike dropped into a courteous bow. "It is an honor to formally meet you, Your Majesty."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well."

Spike straightened up and looked around the crowded room. "There has to be some non-staining punch somewhere here, I'm going to go find it."

"Good luck with that, just remember not to stay up too late," Twilight said. As the small dragon hopped off the table and disappeared into a forest of pony legs, Twilight scanned the room until she saw a pony she recognized. "Look, there's Applejack, I'll introduce you."

Twilight led Luna over near the small stage where a white unicorn was producing the energetic music, toward a familiar blond pony who seemed uncomfortable despite her immaculately combed mane.

"Hey Applejack," Twilight called out loudly to be heard over the louder music.

The pony, Applejack, turned their way, and upon seeing Luna, seemed to become even more nervous. "Princess Luna, this is Applejack, Applejack, Princess Luna."

As Twilight was introducing them, Applejack fell into a low and slightly awkward bow.

"Please, you don't have to bow," pleaded Luna as she hastily looked around, hoping nopony was paying attention to them. "We're all friends here. At least, I'd like to be your friend." Having seen the new custom of equals greeting one another, Luna hesitantly put forward her hoof. Applejack looked up, first at Luna's outstretched hoof, then at the princess' uncertain expression, and broke into a wide grin. She leapt up off the floor and clasped Luna's hoof with both of hers and began to vigorously pump it.

"Well then howdy, Miss Luna. I'm Applejack, of the Apple family, of Sweet Apple Acres. Maybe you've heard of us. We're famous for having the tastiest apples you ever did eat."

"Oh, yes," Luna replied politely. Honestly she had little idea where any of the food prepared for her originated from. She would have to ask when she returned to Canterlot. Applejack finally decided to let go of Luna's hoof, for which the princess was grateful. Nopony had ever greeted her so enthusiastically, and Luna could feel her shoulder pop as she put her hoof back down.

"Say," said Applejack in a more serious tone, closing one eye to better examine Luna. "You're not one of those fancy ponies who think eatin apples and apple treats is below them are ya?"

"Oh no, I quite enjoy apples. Although I'm not certain I've had these 'apple treats.'"

Applejack smiled enthusiastically. "Well good, I'm glad somepony from Canterlot has a bit of sense. You just come on over to Sweet Apple Acres and we'll show ya what apples can do. We've got so many apples and apple accessories, we'll be sure to find somethin you like. Then maybe when you go back to Canterlot you can tell your friends just how great our apples are, and we could open up a new Apple branch in Canterlot."

Twilight spoke up, sounding outraged. "Applejack, are you trying to get Princess Luna to advertise for you?"

"Aw, it ain't like that."

"It's alright, Twilight," Luna interjected, attempting to calm things down. She'd hate to be the cause for an argument between friends. She turned to Applejack. "I'd love to sample your apples, and if they're as wonderful as you make them sound, I'll be sure to praise them wherever I go. Although I'm afraid you've overestimated my influence with other ponies."

Applejack appeared a little ashamed of her earlier entrepreneurial spirit as she replied, "Oh, Miss Luna, that's alright. We'd love to have you over and sample our apples, and so long as you're happy, the Apple family is happy, even if we satisfy just one extra pony."

Luna was about to reply to Applejack's obviously heartfelt sentiment, when they were interrupted by a voice from above.

"Hey Applejack, Twilight, you guys seen Pinkie? She was …" A blue pegasus who had landed near Applejack trailed off as she noticed Luna. "Hey, you're Nightmare Moon right? Name's Rainbow Dash. You might not have caught it last time, but I bet you remember my awesome moves, right?"

Luna lowered her head as shame and regret welled up within her.

"Rainbow Dash!"

"What? She was Nightmare Moon right?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"It's alright, Twilight." Luna looked toward Rainbow Dash. "Yes, I was Nightmare Moon, but I'm afraid that I can't remember very much before you and Twilight defeated me and returned me to the form you see now. I hope I didn't harm you while I was Nightmare Moon, and if I did, you have my sincerest apologies."

Rainbow Dash nonchalantly dismissed Luna's apology with a wave of her hoof. "Nah, don't worry about it, all water under the bridge."

An exuberant voice rang out over the din of the party. "Found it!"

Luna and the others looked up to find Pinkie Pie somehow hanging upside down from the ceiling, tugging at the small banner with the a on it. She pulled it from the nails holding it up and turned it around to reveal a drawing of a tailless pony on the back. Unfortunately, without it acting as an anchor, the rest of the banner welcoming Luna began to fall, draping itself over several ponies. Pinkie lost her adhesion to the ceiling and happily screamed out, "Pony pile!" as she fell into the confused crowd below.

Twilight turned to Luna with a stiff and pained smile. "How about we go meet my other friends? I'm sure they're someplace much quieter."

"Yeah, you guys do that," Rainbow Dash said loudly. "I'm going to see what craziness Pinkie's causing, it looks like fun." She zipped off toward the thickest part of the party.

Applejack sighed and her hair seemed to become frazzled as she commented, "I guess I ought to go and make sure they don't get into too much trouble. Things tend to get out of hoof when Pinkie and Rainbow Dash get involved."

"It was a pleasure to meet you," Luna called out as the earth pony began making her way toward where a very excited and familiar voice was crying out, "Woohoo!" Luna turned to Twilight. "Perhaps we should go and assist them as well. I'd hate for anypony to be hurt, especially at a celebration in my honor."

"I'm sure Rainbow Dash and Applejack have things under control." There was a loud explosion from the direction Pinkie had last been seen, and the air was filled with confetti. Twilight ignored the spectacle though as she almost forcefully began nudging Luna in the opposite direction with her head. "Besides, there're other ponies I'd like you to meet, and I'm certain they're someplace far away from the excitement, and crowds, and loud noises, and stains."

Luna began walking in the direction Twilight wanted her to go in, leaving the chaotic epicenter of the party behind. Eventually they found themselves in a pleasant kitchen attached to the room the rest of the party was happening in. It was much quieter, and there were few ponies. In fact, there were only two, a white unicorn in a fanciful dress, and a Yellow pegasus who was speaking animatedly to the unicorn across the short counter they were standing at.

"There you are, Rarity, Fluttershy, I'd like you to meet Princess Luna," Twilight called out as they approached.

The white unicorn positively beamed as she turned to meet them. "Why hello, Princess Luna, I am Rarity, the local clothing designer and seamstress." She dipped into a shallow, but respectful bow, which was quick enough not to embarrass Luna.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Rarity. Twilight Sparkle has told me so much about you, and how much effort you put into your creations. Is that dress you're wearing one of your designs?"

"Oh this old thing? Why yes. Although I must admit it was something I just threw together. It does look rather fetching if I do say so myself."

"Yes, it's quite beautiful."

"Thank you. Perhaps you could come by my little store, the Carousel Boutique, during your stay and I can show you a few of my other designs."

"Certainly, that sounds wonderful." Luna looked for the other pony who had been with Rarity and found her hiding behind the voluminous hem of Rarity's dress. And you're Fluttershy, I believe, correct? It's a please to make your acquaintance as well."

Rarity respectfully moved away to clear the space between Luna and Fluttershy, revealing that the yellow pegasus' mane had draped over her face, leaving only a narrow slit through which one of her large cyan eyes cut between Luna and the floor.

"You'll have to forgive Fluttershy, she's a bit … well, shy sometimes," Twilight explained to Luna.

Rarity kindly turned to her friend. "Come now, Fluttershy, there's no reason to be afraid, darling. Princess Luna is a friend of Twilight's. She's not some stranger, there's no need to be so aloof."

Fluttershy looked at Rarity, then to Luna, and back at the floor. She said something, but it was said so softly that Luna couldn't make it out over the background noise of the party in the other room.

"I'm sorry, dear, didn't quite catch that," Rarity said kindly.

Fluttershy hung her head lower, narrowing the slit in her mane further, and might have said something else, but Luna couldn't be certain. However, she was certain that she was causing the other pony quite a bit of distress, so before Rarity could try to coax her friend into speaking again, she quickly interjected, "Well, it was quite nice to meet both of you, and I look forward to furthering our acquaintance during my stay." She nodded in the ponies' direction, then turned to Twilight. "Perhaps it's time to avail ourselves of the refreshments?" she suggested.

Twilight planted her hoof over her face. "Refreshments, right, chapter three. How could I forget?" She quickly composed herself. "Please follow me, Princess."

They plunged once more into the mass of ponies at the party, making their way through the tightly packed crowd to a table laden with several sweets as well as a large punch bowl with a light pink and slightly frothy liquid. Twilight served them both a glass of punch, and Luna found the beverage to delightfully tickle her nose as she sipped at it. Soon she was on her second cup, and then her third.

The rest of the party however was something of a blur to Luna. She remembered feeling like the bubbles from the punch had gone to her head, making it feel rather light. She also remembered the music beginning to sound like something she could move to, no, something she had to move to. There had been a crush of bodies on the dance floor as Luna tried to match the movements of the other ponies, but she only really remembered Twilight's as they had danced close to one another. She could also remember them holding each other and laughing uproariously at something, although for the life of her she couldn't remember what.

Eventually though, the party wound down and Luna found herself walking through the deserted streets of Ponyville leaning against Twilight Sparkle. The cool night air a pleasant contrast with her heated body.

"I'm sorry about my friends," Twilight apologized while balancing a sleeping Spike on her back. "They're actually quite nice ponies."

"I thought they were charming," Luna reassured her friend. For some reason she seemed to be having a tiny bit of difficulty maintaining her balance. "It's refreshing to meet some normal ponies for a change."

"Well, I wouldn't say that they're normal exactly …"

"I wouldn't know," Luna declared hotly. "I really wouldn't know what normal ponies act like, because I haven't met a single one since I returned from the moon." Her tone quickly became sober. "I'm surrounded by guards who seem to expect me to go on an Equestria destroying rampage at any moment, and attendants who walk on eggshells in order to not upset me. The only pony who doesn't treat me like I could become Nightmare Moon at the drop of a hat is Celestia, and even she …" Luna's voice thickened. "Sometimes, I can see it in her eyes, like she's scared. Not of me, but of herself I think. She still isn't sure why I transformed into Nightmare Moon, I'm not even sure. But she surrounds me with ponies all the time, so that I won't be lonely. But somehow, I feel more alone now than I did before being banished."

Luna's mood was swaying almost as much as the nearby buildings were, from frustrated anger to introspective sorrow. But her drunken reflections were interrupted by Twilight quietly asking, "Do you still feel lonely? Even with me?"

Luna steadied herself and met Twilight's heartbreakingly beseeching face, and had to restrain herself from collapsing on the unicorn's neck and sobbing. Instead she put as much sincerity in her voice as she could, and answered, "No. When I'm with you, I feel … wonderful. I'm happy and grateful that you're my friend."

Twilight smiled sappily in a way Luna found quite endearing. Just as Luna was beginning to lose herself in the depths of Twilight's violet eyes, the unicorn hurriedly turned away and loudly announced, "We're here." Her horn glowed as she opened the door to the tree house that had lurched out of the darkness. Luna followed her inside, and a few uncoordinated minutes later, the two ponies had made it up the perilous stairs leading to Twilight's bedroom.

Twilight tucked Spike into his basket that she had moved to the lower floor of the room while Luna prepared herself for bed. She slipped off her crown and hoof bracers, as well as her chest piece, carefully placing them on an empty shelf nearby. Lacking her royal accoutrements, Luna slipped in-between the sheets of the guest bed. A short while later and Twilight extinguished the lights and settled into her own bed, illuminated by the now bright moonlight pouring in from the nearby window. Luna didn't remember raising the moon, perhaps Celestia had taken charge of it. Although it was entirely possible that she had performed her duty as usual. There was a lot about that night she didn't entirely remember.

It was late night, early morning actually, and still quite early for Luna to go to bed, despite her early awakening. She tried to drift off to sleep, first facing one direction, and then flipping over to face the other. A few moments later and she tried lying on her back, shortly before attempting to find comfort on her stomach. However, all her attempts to find a position to sleep in were in vain. It seemed that no matter which one she tried, the bed was just plain uncomfortable. She didn't even have the aid of being tired to alleviate the uncomfortableness of the stiff mattress and painfully protruding springs of the bed.

"Princess Luna, are you alright?" Twilight's voice called through the darkness, causing Luna to pause mid-turn. She had though her host was already asleep. Otherwise she would have been sure to keep her thrashing around respectfully quiet.

"Sorry for keeping you up, Twilight. I'm just trying to find a comfortable position to rest in."

Luna could see Twilight sitting up in her bed and peering into the dark in her direction.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing, Princess. I forgot you weren't used to beds, and I know that mine is nowhere near as well made and comfortable as the ones in the palace. I should have remembered that and found you a better place to sleep during your stay."

"Don't fret so much over it; I've slept in far less comfortable places I assure you. Although I usually had Celestia with me then, whenever I slept wither her, I could always manage to sleep easily, no matter what I was sleeping on."

In a voice barely louder than a whisper, Twilight suggested, "Well, I might not be Princess Celestia, but maybe you'd feel more comfortable if you slept with me. You know, like a sleepover."

Luna tried not to sound too eager as she replied, "Are you sure? I'd hate to impose any further on your generosity."

"It wouldn't be any trouble at all."

Luna didn't need any further invitation. She slipped out of her bed and into Twilight's. Truthfully, it didn't feel any softer, but Twilight's warmth and presence seemed to envelop Luna, even though she made certain to lie with her back to the other pony. There wouldn't be any awkward cuddling this time.

"Good night, Twilight, and thank you."

"You're welcome. Good night, Princess Luna."

The room was silent save for the gentle breathing of two ponies which quickly settled into a slow, deep, and synchronized rhythm.

Sometime later, Luna almost returned to full consciousness as she felt a familiar pressure. She didn't bother to get up though as she reflexively lowered the moon to make way for the sun. Her duty done, Luna snuggled closer to the soft source of warmth that she was entwined with. Her pillow murmured softly but settled down. Luna returned to her deep and restful sleep.

Hours later, and Celestia's sun ruthlessly shone upon Luna's face, causing her to groan as consciousness was thrust upon her. She cracked open her eyes to find a brilliantly blue sky filling the window a few feet away. Knowing that further sleep was futile, Luna stretched her hind legs, unkinking her muscles, while squeezing the fluffy purple pillow she was holding tightly. Aside from the pillow, Luna was alone in the bed. She rolled off of it, and spotted a mirror nearby. She trotted over to it, once again jealous of Celestia's eternally perfect hair. After so much tossing and turning the previous night, Luna's mane was sticking out in all directions and her tail was a tangle of knots.

Picking up a nearby brush with her magic, Luna spent the next several minutes trying to look presentable. Just as she was finishing, a delicious aroma wafted up the stairs, causing her stomach to remind her that it was quite empty.

She navigated down the stairs and followed the lovely scent through a small door squeezed in-between two bookcases, and into the kitchen. There Luna found Twilight Sparkle bent over a book with a partially eaten muffin floating nearby.

"Good morning," Luna called out to announce her presence.

Twilight looked up, startled, with a blush quickly spreading across her cheeks for some reason. She hastily lifted her book up to cover her face. "Good morning, Princess Luna. I hope it's not too early for you."

"It's several hours before the time I normally wake, but I feel very well rested nonetheless. Besides which, what kind of visit would it be if I spent all my time sleeping while you were awake, and were awake while you were asleep?"

"That's true. By the way, I picked up some muffins for breakfast this morning. They're over on the counter if you'd like one. I'm afraid that I don't have very much other food. I'm not that great a cook, so I eat out a lot."

"A muffin would be wonderful." Luna walked to the nearby counter where she found a plate with several large and puffy muffins studded with voluptuous blueberries. She selected one and returned to the table, where Twilight was reading her book with dogged determination. Luna demurely sampled her muffin and found it to be delectable.

"What is it that you're reading, Twilight?"

"Diotima's meditations on the nature of love. It's really quite fascinating. She's separated love into four distinct types, the love we call affection, or fondness, the love that's selfless or charitable, the love we have for our family and close friends, and of course the intimate or romantic love."

Luna enjoyed watching Twilight as she spoke. When she was interested in the subject, her eyes shone brightly and her face became animated as she lost herself in explaining the latest fact she had learned. It was obvious she enjoyed understanding new concepts, and her unabashed and innocent enthusiasm resonated somewhere deep in Luna, and she found herself warmly smiling in response.

"It sounds like a fascinating subject. Have you been studying it long?"

"Oh no, I just felt like reading up on it recently."

"And why the sudden interest in love?"

Twilight hid behind her book once more before replying, "No reason really. I just had the urge to look into it."

Before Luna could inquire any further, they were interrupted by the front door slamming shut loudly.

"Hey, Twilight, I'm back," Spike called out from the other room. He entered the kitchen carrying a large paper bag. "I got that tea you wanted. Oh, hello, Princess. I like your new look."

New look? Luna was certain she had brushed her mane and tail into the same style she had always worn them.

"Good morning, Spike. Thank you for running an errand for me so early. Now could you do one more tiny favor for me and prepare the tea?"

"Aw, but Twilight, I have some important stuff to do. You know, guy stuff. As in not girly tea stuff."

"Please, Spike, nopony can brew tea like you."

Twilight leveled a pleading look at Spike, and under its influence, Spike threw up his claws and hotly replied, "Fine. I'll make your tea, but you're just using me because I can breathe fire."

"And because you're my number one assistant," Twilight cheerfully called after Spike as he traveled deeper into the kitchen. She turned back to Luna and closely scrutinized her. Luna was beginning to feel extremely self conscious when Twilight finally decided, "He's right, your new look does look good."

"What new look?"

"You know, the regular pony look. Well, as regular as a pony with both wings and a horn can look. Without your crown and other royal vestments, it's easier to focus on your face and your beautiful hair."

Luna knew there had been something she had forgotten to do that morning. But perhaps that hadn't been a bad thing if Twilight's expression was any indication.

"Do you really think so?"

"Oh yes, you look wonderful."

Luna blushed at Twilight's compliment and looked away from the other pony bashfully. She cleared her throat and tried to change the topic.

"So, what do you have planned for today?"

"I was thinking that it would be nice to visit Sweet Apple Acres and for you to meet the rest of the Apple family. They were the first friends I found when I first came to Ponyville, and they're all very nice ponies."

As the energizing aroma of brewing tea filled the room, Luna smiled and replied, "That sounds wonderful. I'd love to get to know Applejack better, and I'm sure it would be enjoyable to meet the rest of her family."

"Good, then after lunch, er, breakfast, we'll head over and I'll introduce you to them."

* * *

><p>AN

Damn I need an editor. Otherwise I'll just keep spewing crap like this. Maybe I'll find one before the next chapter. But I doubt it.


	3. Part 2b

I don't own My Little Pony

A story about ponies! I'll write it and no one will ever know!

* * *

><p>Luna had helped clean the few dishes they had dirtied while eating lunch. Although perhaps helped was too strong a word. She had levitated them over to the sink, where she had watched Twilight quickly clean the two cups and single plate, leaving the teapot still mostly full to refill the cup that Spike was sipping from, despite his earlier declaration that the drink was unmanly.<p>

Before they left Spike to look after the library, Luna had debated with herself whether to put on her crown and other royal accessories. But with Twilight's compliment fresh in her mind, and taking into account that she was on vacation after all, Luna decided to go out unadorned. Energized by the caffeine from the tea, and her slightly scandalous decision, Luna soon found herself walking alongside Twilight Sparkle as they left Ponyville.

The day was idyllic as the two ponies crossed a small bridge demarking the boundary of Ponyville. Celestia's sun was just past the midway point of its slow arch, and the weather pegasi had cleared the sky of any hint of clouds threatening to obscure the azure sky overhead.

"You're not feeling too tired from waking up so early, are you, Princess Luna?" Twilight asked her a bit anxiously.

Luna quickly reassured her, "Oh no, I feel refreshed actually, especially after that wonderfully brewed tea. It was so mild that it hardly needed any sugar at all."

"Spike does know how to brew an excellent pot of tea, despite his grumbling. Back when we lived in Canterlot, I found that most ponies preferred a stronger, bitterer blend, which I never really liked." Twilight screwed up her face in remembered disgust. "But I needed the caffeine for all the late night study sessions I had, so I found a milder blend. I also researched a gentler brewing method that I taught Spike so he could make tea for me and I wouldn't have to take a break from reading."

Luna smiled to herself in amusement at the picture Twilight painted. Truly Spike must have had a hard time living with Twilight. "I'll be sure to give my compliments to Spike when we return. And you'll have to divulge your secret blend when I have something to write the recipe down with."

"It would be my pleasure, Princess Luna. I actually found it in a text on early pony alchemy. Apparently a pony discovered it while searching for the secret to eternal life."

Twilight chuckled a bit at the thought of the many failures of the ponies who had sought out a lifespan comparable to the immortal princesses. There were a few moments of silence as they walked along the well kept road companionably.

The silence was broken by Luna as she looked around awkwardly for a moment before turning to Twilight with an earnest expression and a hesitantly uncertain voice. "Twilight, if you don't mind, do you think that you could call me Luna? Everypony in Canterlot addresses me as princess, and I just don't feel right with my friend calling me by my title, as if they were just any other pony."

Twilight seemed a little surprised by her request, but quickly replied, "If you're sure you want me to…" Luna smiled at her encouragingly. "I'd be happy to call you Luna." She glanced around, as if to check and see if anypony had heard her being so familiar with royalty, or perhaps to make sure that she wasn't about to be struck down by divine lightning.

"Thank you, Twilight. Sometimes it feels like I'm placed on a pedestal by my title, and I don't want there to be a distance like that between us," Luna admitted.

Twilight laughed a little before kindly replying, "To be honest, I think it's the fact that you control the moon that makes most ponies respect you. I mean, it's not everypony who can say they have even a fraction of the power you have in a single hoof. You're probably one of the most powerful creatures in all Equestria, and I think that ponies who don't know you very well are probably a bit intimidated by that."

Luna bowed her head and concentrated on the tightly packed dirt of the road they were following as she quietly replied, "Just because I have so much power doesn't mean I'm better then anypony. I make mistakes, just like everypony else." She half-heartedly and self-mockingly chuckled. "When I do make a mistake though, it's often several magnitudes larger than most pony's. " She sighed deeply. "Celestia is revered, as she should be, not simply because she's the most powerful pony ever, but because she's the wisest. Sometimes I feel that the ponies of Equestria respect me only because I'm her sister."

Luna was knocked, quite literally, out of her quickly developing funk by Twilight leaning over and bumping her. Surprised, Luna looked up to find Twilight regarding her with a serious but compassionate expression.

"That's not true. You're more than just Princess Celestia's sister. You're Luna, the princess who gave us the moon and the stars. It's true that the day is important; it gives us light and allows us to work and grow crops. But the night is just as important. It gives us time to rest and dream. And like the poet Orange Tundra once said, 'What value are these days I trudge through without the dreams I gallop towards?' The gifts you've given us are just as important as Princess Celestia's, and you're important not because of Princess Celestia, but because you're Luna," Twilight hotly declared.

Luna blushed at the intensity in Twilight's eyes and voice, and stared back down at the ground, not wanting Twilight to see just how happy her words had made her feel, nor how guilty. Every time Twilight spoke of Celestia, Luna felt an electric jolt pass through her. She could all too easily remember her sister's face, pensive, morose, and perhaps a bit resigned, as she had spoken of Twilight Sparkle and her new friendship with Luna.

She hadn't said anything explicitly about how her sister's friendship had come at the cost of Celestia's own relationship with Twilight, but she didn't have to. Her relationship with the special unicorn had waned and Luna's had waxed. Luna could picture her sister trapped in a melancholy routine of duties, seeing to the needs of the kingdom and suffering the insipidness of her courtiers while languishing in an ennui that could be swept away with a single sentence from Luna.

What was it that kept her silent then? If she truly loved her sister she should be willing to do anything to relieve her suffering. And yet …

Luna glanced back toward Twilight Sparkle and found her avoiding eye contact, cheeks slightly reddened, perhaps from the emotion behind the heartfelt sentiment she had revealed a few moments ago. Luna smiled, albeit somewhat sadly. Twilight was sometimes just too cute for words. Silently Luna asked for Celestia's forgiveness and promised to reveal the truth to her sister after her return to Canterlot. At least, after she'd had the taste of having a friend for a little while. With her self-promised pledge, Luna attempted to banish the thoughts of Celestia from her mind, for at least for the moment.

"So, that was some party last night, huh?" Twilight awkwardly asked, attempting to break the even more awkward silence that had fallen upon them.

"Oh yes," Luna replied reflexively. However she quickly warmed to the subject. "It was a delightful celebration. Even more enjoyable then the festivities I've attended in Canterlot, in my opinion. I must admit that I had a few trepidations at first, but I'm glad you convinced me to go, Twilight."

"I'm happy you enjoyed it." Twilight's reply was tinted with a touch of relief. "I was worried that it would be a bit … simple compared to what you're used to."

Luna's reply was rueful. "While it wasn't as formal as the parties in Canterlot, it wasn't as boring either."

"I hope that my friends didn't upset you last night. Rainbow Dash is a bit brash sometimes, and Applejack works hard growing her apples, so she's a bit enthusiastic about everypony liking them."

"I found them all quite charming, really," Luna reassured her friend. "Though, I'm afraid that I scared poor Fluttershy. I hope I didn't ruin her evening."

"I don't think it was you, Luna. It's just that it's a little, um, difficult for Fluttershy to meet new ponies. I'm sure that once she gets to know you as well as I do, you two will be the best of friends!"

"I hope so," admitted Luna. "I'm finding that having friends is nice."

The two ponies had arrived at a fork in the road, with a narrower path branching off from the road they were following. Twilight led Luna down the new path and through a stand of trees standing atop a hill. As they cleared the trees and stood looking down into the valley below, Luna had to admit that she was impressed by the sheer size of the farm spread out before them.

Evenly spaced apple trees, expertly plowed furrows, and well tended fields covered the valley, as well as the rolling hills in the distance, stretching out in all directions as far as the eye could see. The path they were on led down through a simple white fence and up to a picturesque barn.

Twilight had paused alongside Luna who had stopped to appreciate the scale of the farm. "Is something the matter, Luna?"

"Oh no, I was just marveling at just how large Applejack's farm is. She must have a whole herd of ponies helping her to maintain it."

"Actually, I think it's just Applejack and her brother Big Macintosh who take care of most of the farm, at least the apple related parts. There are other ponies who live here, but they look after other areas." She lifted a hoof to point out a carrot themed house in the distance. "A pony named Carrot Top lives over there, but I think she mostly just works on the carrot fields." She turned to Luna apologetically. "I'm actually not too sure how Sweet Apple Acres is run, I just know that it seems like Applejack and Big Mac are busy all the time."

"Well, I hope that we won't be bothering her too much by dropping by."

"Oh, Applejack always makes time for her friends, especially if they're willing to lend a hoof with her apple trees," Twilight reassured her.

The two ponies set off again, quickly descending the hill and casually strolling through the gate decorated by a cut out of an apple. As they approached the large barn, Luna and Twilight found Applejack just leaving the building with what appeared to be a bundle of sticks covering her back and extending almost out past her tail. She seemed deep in thought, but her face brightened when she caught sight of Luna and Twilight.

"Howdy you two," she called out as she ambled over toward them. "What brings y'all out to Sweet Apple Acres today?"

"Hey Applejack," Twilight greeted her friend. "I thought that it would be interesting to Luna to see your farm since it's one of the main attractions of Ponyville."

"And you made your apples sound so delightful, that I couldn't waste the opportunity to try some," Luna added.

Applejack smiled brightly and puffed her chest out slightly as she replied, "Well, ah don't know about our lil ol' farm bein' an attraction, but if you're here for apples, you've come to the right place." Her face turned contemplative and she glanced off into the distance. "Though right now ah'm on my way to go do some work on the other side of the farm. Ah'd hate to put it off for too long…"

"That's no trouble at all, perhaps we could help," Luna offered, remembering what Twilight had said earlier. She was also ready to make a new friend, and she had heard that working together was one of the best ways for ponies to get to know one another.

Applejack ran a critical eye over Luna and drawled, "Ah don't know …"

Twilight cleared her throat and looked at Applejack pointedly, causing the orange pony to flush for a moment before she decided, "Ah mean, ah'd love to have some help. Come on and ah'll take ya across the property and we can have a bit of a tour as we go."

She led the way to the nearby tree line, Twilight and Luna following closely behind her. The early afternoon sunlight, which had been warming Luna since they had left Ponyville, filtered through the canopy overhead. The ponies were dappled with spots of shadow and sun, and the cooler air was a welcome relief from the almost oppressive warmth. In the distance, there was a steady drone of insects that Luna hadn't noticed until she had begun to focus on their surroundings. The gentle breezes that buffeted the treetops overhead and occasionally drifted down to the trio of ponies smelled faintly of fresh apples.

In an attempt to strike up a conversation, Luna broke the stillness of the afternoon. "You have a rather large farm Applejack. How long has the Apple family owned it?"

Applejack turned her head back to better hear Luna while she spoke, then tilted it in thought as they continued to walk. "Well shoot, ah guess the Apple family's been in these parts since about the time Ponyville was founded. They owned a lot of farms over the years, but Sweet Apple Acres didn't come round till about five, six hundred years ago when a lot of the ponies were leavin' Ponyville and sellin' cheap."

"What happened back then to cause ponies to leave Ponyville?" Twilight asked. "I mean, it's a pretty nice place."

Applejack craned her neck to look around the bundle of wood on her back in Twilight's direction. "That was 'bout the time when Princess Celestia moved to Canterlot permanently. Ya see, back a thousand years ago, or there abouts, Princess Celestia ruled Equestria from the Castle of Two Sisters. But after the, uh … late unpleasantness," Applejack shot Luna an apologetic glance, "she started travelin' round Equestria, rulin' from wherever she was at the time. Eventually though she settled in Canterlot, and a lot of earth ponies moved on out of Ponyville."

A root leapt out and tripped Luna, causing her to stumble slightly, which drew the attention of Twilight and Applejack.

"You alright there, Princess?"

"Are you hurt, Luna?"

Both ponies spoke out at the same time, and Luna, despite her reddening face, reassured them, "Yes, I'm fine. I suppose I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Yeah, you need to watch out for those roots," Applejack good naturedly admonished her. "And the low hanging branches, and sometimes those trunks'll sneak up ya too. Ah know that walkin' through an orchard might be new to a city pony such as yourself, but ah'll try and point out the dangerous parts."

Luna wasn't sure how to respond to Applejack's teasing, but Twilight interjected, "And I'm sure that the next time you're in Canterlot, Luna will return the favor. But I still don't understand why so many ponies left Ponyville so long ago."

"Well, Ponyville was originally started by a group of earth ponies from Mesoponyamia who wanted to be close to Princess Celestia's capital to make sure that earth pony concerns were heard, same as everypony else's. Course the Apple family don't have much use for things like that. We just came along to make sure everypony got enough to eat. But as my dad used to say, 'This here's good soil. So long as the sun rises in the mornin' and sets at night, we'll get along just fine.' So when most ponies left for greener pastures, we stuck here in Ponyville."

Luna felt a surge of guilt. The time before she had transformed into Nightmare Moon seemed both like a distant, hazy memory, and as if it had happened just the other day. She could easily remember the envy she had felt toward her sister, and the under-appreciation from their subjects. When she had attempted to bring about eternal night, she had only been thinking of her own feelings, not about the difficulties it would cause for anypony else.

Applejack didn't seem to notice the effect of her words on Luna, but Twilight looked toward the princess with a questioning and somewhat concerned expression. Luna appreciated her friend's sensitivity and concern, and tried to smile in reply, nodding her head to show she was alright.

"Yep, the Apple family leaves the politics to other ponies," Applejack declared proudly, unaware of the silent communication going on behind her. "Course as the other ponies spread out some of us went with 'em and started farms across Equestria. Now, just about anywhere you go, you can find an Apple or an Apple relative."

They emerged from the artificial apple forest into a grassy avenue which ran through the orchard, its ends lost to sight behind distant hills and stands of trees. Across its relatively thin width were more trees, although to Luna's inexperienced eyes, the trees were slightly different from the ones they had just left. The trunks were thinner and further apart, and the leaves were darker and shinier. The tiny apples peeking out from the leaves also seemed slightly larger.

As they walked across the sun drenched grass, with a few daisies underhoof perfuming the air, Luna inquired, "Is there a reason why your orchard is separated like this?"

Applejack stopped and turned around to better face the princess before she responded. "Well, those trees back there," she explained while pointing her hoof back the way they had come, "are some of the oldest trees on the farm. They're mostly Baldwins, a good all round apple. You can eat'em, cook'em, bake'em, juice'em, what have you. But while they're good, they aren't the most flavorful apple you ever tasted, if you know what I mean."

She turned and pointed toward where they were going. "Now these trees here were planted by my great, great, great, great grandpappy." She narrowed her eyes in thought and tapped her chin with her hoof. "Or was it my great, great, great, great, _great_ grandpappy? Hmmmm… ah'll have to check the family tree when we get back. Anyway, most of these trees were planted decades after the other trees, and these are mostly Pearmains. They're a lot sweeter, but they don't store as well as Baldwins, and they're a might larger too."

Applejack set off again, with Luna and Twilight quickly falling into step. "Yep, ever since Sweet Apple Acres was started, each generation's added their own trees to offer the ponies of Ponyville and Equestria a wider variety of apple. And to prove that their apples taste better then the last generation's too."

As they entered the shade of the next stretch of apple trees, Twilight asked, "You keep saying that most of the trees are of one variety or the other. Does that mean you have different species in each section? Wouldn't it be simpler to have trees of the same type together to make it easier to catalogue them?"

"To be honest, it would make things a might easier if all the trees in one area were the same type, but ah'm afraid it just don't work that way. Ya see, havin' a bunch of trees that grow the same kind of apple together, is kinda like havin' a room full of mares. When it comes time to pollinate, they can have a heap of fun together, but without a stallion, they can't exactly get down to business, if'n you know what ah mean." Applejack laughed at her own joke for a minute, but she quickly sobered and her cheeks colored slightly as she twisted her neck to look toward Luna. "Pardon my coarseness, Your Majesty."

Luna cleared her throat lightly, and could feel her own face warm a bit at the provocative image. "It's all right, Applejack. It was quite a, uh … descriptive simile. And please, I thought I told you last night, call me Luna, just Luna."

"Yes ma'am, Miss Luna. Ah guess ah forgot." The farmer seemed rather uncomfortable as she spoke.

Twilight appeared ignorant of her friends' reactions, as she contemplatively remarked, "Actually, there were a series of studies conducted by the great unicorn Red Lotus into sperm-less fertilization which had promising –"

Applejack blushed even brighter and quickly cut Twilight off. "Aw hay, Twilight, it was just a metaphor. What ah mean to say is that for every dozen or so trees of one type, we gotta plant a crab apple tree of another type that blooms round the same time so they can cross-pollinate one another."

"So the different species of apple bloom at different times of the year?"

"Eyup, and they need to be harvested at different times too. Heck, sometimes it feels like ah'm bucking all year long."

Applejack continued to share a surprisingly vast amount of information about the many different breeds of apple, as well as the history of the Apple family, and even of the history of Equestria. During which, it felt to Luna as if they had walked for miles upon miles, far past what she was used to when traversing the halls of her palace. The leaves of the trees overhead provided a great deal of shade, but still, Celestia's summer sun made the day sweltering. Luna found that she had begun to sweat in a rather unregal manner, and was hoping that Applejack was going to take a break from her tireless pace soon.

In time, they passed through endless rows of apple trees and finally emerged into a wide and open field. It was empty, save for the rows of slender saplings barely as tall as a pony, bending under the weight of the oppressive sun.

"…and that hill over there was planted by Great Uncle Wickson. He was tryin' to make an apple specially suited for hard cider. He says he planted the trees to maximize the amount of water they got from it runnin' along the contours of the land, but ah think he was sippin' a bit of his own product a lot of the time," Applejack confided to her friends. Luna was becoming a tad jealous at the earth pony's ability to walk such a distance and still have the energy to continue to talk.

She looked over to the hill that Applejack had pointed out, and found that it was covered with trees planted in a rather confusing and seemingly random pattern of short zigzags, and long curving lines.

"Course, he did manage to breed the best cider apple you ever did taste; makes a punch that'll knock the shoes off your hooves and the mark off your rump." Again she sheepishly turned to look at Luna. "Pardon my Griffon, Miss Luna."

Luna tried to hide her exhaustion from being so out of shape as she replied, "It's alright, I'm used to the heated rhetoric of the various diplomats who come to Canterlot." She noticed that Applejack was slowing down, and couldn't hide the eagerness in her voice as she asked, "Have we reached the end of our journey?"

"Eyup, these here are the apple trees me and Big Mac planted just this year. They're just saplings right now, but give 'em a few years and they'll be makin' the sweetest apples you ever did eat. We're plannin' on callin' 'em Honeycrisps, on account of their bein' as sweet as honey, and of course crispy."

Applejack released the rope that was holding the poles to her back, and with a crash they fell to the ground, revealing a pair of saddlebags that had been hiding underneath the bundle. In a few moments more they had joined the stakes on the ground.

"So, why exactly are we out here," Twilight asked. Luna noticed that while she wasn't as winded as her, the unicorn was still breathing a bit more heavily than normal.

"Well, these trees here are just babies, and if we let 'em grow all wild like, they'll be sendin' branches every which a way and growin' in all directions. So what we're goin' ta do is plant these here stakes in the ground," she pawed at the bundle of poles she had been carrying. "Then we tie these trees to them so they'll grow up relatively straight. We'll also put a couple of light weights on some of their branches so they don't get all tangled up with one another as they grow."

Luna looked across the field at all the small, almost fragile plants which supposedly would one day be trees. There had to be three score of them at least, lined up in straight rows, with wide spaces separating them.

"All of these trees?"

"Yes ma'am. I wasn't plannin' on finishin' today, but ah did want to get as many done as ah could."

"It should go faster with all us helping out, right, Luna?" Twilight enthusiastically declared.

In admiration of the unicorn's enthusiasm, Luna smiled and agreed, "That's right."

"And I sure do appreciate the help. Now, let me show you what it is we need to be doin'." Applejack bent down and picked up one of the stakes with her mouth, effortlessly standing it up on its end. The wooden pole was half again as tall as she was, with the end closest to the ground sharply pointed. With practiced ease, Applejack carried it to the nearest tree and grasped the pole firmly with both her hooves. She began thrusting it into the ground, driving it deeper and deeper with a continuous twisting movement, until a third of it was buried in the earth. "Now, we just get our twine and tie it off."

She walked back over to the loose bundle of sticks and retrieved a ball of fibrous string from one of the saddlebags. She bit off a few short pieces, then returned to the tree where she tied its slender trunk to the stake with a series of farmer knots.

"And finally, we weigh it."

Applejack once again returned to the saddlebags, this time fetching a small cloth sack. It had a long, thin strap that she neatly flipped over her head, easily clearing her hat, allowing the small bag to dangle around her neck. She cantered over to the tree she had just tied, and studied its thin branches for a moment. After coming to a decision, she bent down to the bag and with her mouth, retrieved a small but thick metallic ribbon which she wound around one of the tree's branches. The weight caused the branch to droop lower to the ground and away from the other branch it had been pointing toward originally. To be honest, Luna had no clear idea as to why Applejack had chosen that particular branch, but she seemed happy with it.

"And that's all there is to it. Pretty simple huh?"

"I'm not too certain about the criteria used in the weighing part, but the other steps do seem straightforward enough," Luna admitted.

Wanting to help her new friend, Luna attempted to emulate Applejack's movements by picking up one of the stakes wither her mouth, but found it much denser then she had expected. She had only managed to lift the heavy piece of wood a short distance from the ground before she lost her grip on it. Reflexively she was able to hug the pole with her forelegs and catch it before it fell too far. However the sudden weight unbalanced her and almost dragged her down to the ground with it. Not wanting to fall flat on her face, Luna began to flap her wings, and finally stopped the stake's descent. After a few awkward moments of struggling, she managed to stand the pole on its end. Her hooves grasping the wily piece of wood tightly, and lightly panting from the exertion, Luna looked up at the end high in the sky.

"Um, maybe I should handle the stakes," Twilight offered in a tone similar to the one Celestia liked to use whenever Luna suggested that she could handle preparing breakfast on her own.

The pole Luna was holding was encased in a glowing purple patina and gently lifted up and out of her grasp. Without any apparent effort, Twilight floated the stake over to the next apple tree in line and rapidly shot it down into the dirt, exactly matching the depth that Applejack had driven hers to.

For a moment, Luna pouted. It seemed a bit unsporting to use magic. Applejack and the other earth ponies couldn't use unicorn magic, and they seemed to do just fine farming. Besides, if she had known magic was permissible, she would never have made such a foal of herself trying to physically lift that heavy pole. On the hoof, Luna had to admit that she was already tired from the extreme hike Applejack had led them on. If she had to wrestle with heavy equipment for too much longer, she'd probably faint from exhaustion.

At the same time, Luna wondered why Twilight had only handled a single stake. With their magic, either she or Luna could have quickly finished the entire field in a matter of moments. If using magic was permissible, then why wasn't the talented unicorn using her magic to its fullest? Luna glanced over to Applejack for a possible explanation, perhaps it was some sort of farming thing that she was ignorant of. However, she found the earth pony regarding her friend with an expression that was equal parts geniality and resignation. Abruptly the princess understood. It had to be irritating to see somepony perform the same task as you, but faster and with more ease then you ever could. If Twilight used all the power she could to finish a job in seconds, a job that would otherwise take Applejack hours if not days, would surely cause the plainspoken farmer to feel frustrated. Obviously while it was alright to use magic, it wasn't alright to flaunt it.

"I'll handle the tying process then," Luna volunteered. Using only the tiniest fraction of her magic, she picked up the ball of string and after unraveling a suitably long piece, she burned through the fibers of the twine to create three equally proportioned pieces. With only the lightest of thoughts, she levitated them over to the sapling Twilight was standing next to, and tied the darkly glowing threads into perfectly identical bow ties.

"There," Luna said admiringly of her hoofwork.

"Well, that went a might faster than I thought you two eggh- uh, I mean intellectual ponies would do it."

Deciding to take her words as a compliment, Luna smiled toward Applejack and replied, "Thank you. But I'm sure that we can do the next one faster. We can probably stake all these trees in only a few hours."

"Then what are we standin' here for, chompin' the hay? Let's get going. The sooner we finish, the sooner y'all'll be able to enjoy some old fashioned Apple cooking. Twilight you can put in the stakes, Miss Luna, you can tie the trees up, and I'll handle directin' the branches."

Soon they had settled into an easy pace, the steady thump of Twilight driving the poles melded with the incessant background noise of the summer insects, creating a rather relaxing melody.

Cutting and tying the thread didn't require too much concentration, so Luna found her attention wandering. She looked back and found Applejack a few trees behind her. Despite not having the advantage of magic, the farmer was deftly shaping the branches of the trees with her flexible weights. Luna could easily imagine the tiny saplings grow tall and strong under the orange pony's care, their canopies growing wide and providing barrels upon barrels of apples in the distant future. Briefly she wondered about what the world would be like when these trees had matured. Where would she be? Or Celestia? What about Twilight?

Her ruminations were interrupted as Applejack finished with her tree and looked up, meeting Luna's eyes. She smiled at the princess encouragingly, as if the two shared a secret. Luna found herself smiling back. She had to admire the seemingly boundless energy the other pony had. Despite the sun high overhead, pouring down heat, and the arduous hike they'd had, Applejack appeared unfazed.

Luna turned back and finished tying off the last knot of the tree she was working on and trotted over to the next, floating the ball of twine next to her. As she walked, she watched as Twilight focused on the pile of poles far behind them. With a single-minded focus, she levitated one of them across the pale blue sky. Her unwavering attention was likely more appropriate for a potentially explosive magical experiment then a simple levitation spell, but Luna had noticed that whatever Twilight did, she did it whole-heartedly. Once the stake was close to the tree she was next to, far ahead of where Luna was, Twilight shot it into the ground with a precision that the marksmen guard ponies would envy.

As she turned her head and selected another stake from the pile, Luna found herself noticing the subtle movements of Twilight's muscles as they flexed and moved along her slender neck. Like Luna, Twilight obviously wasn't used to such demanding work as this. There was a thin sheen of sweat highlighting her coat, and her mane and tail hung heavily from the mugginess of the afternoon air. She was likely unconscious of it, but Twilight's face scrunched up adorably every time she absently blew her slick bangs from her eyes.

"Everything alright, Sugarcube?" Applejack's voice startled Luna from the reverie she had fallen into, and she hastily spun around to find the orange pony only a few paces away with a kind but questioning expression on her face. Apparently Luna had been watching Twilight for longer than it had felt like.

"Oh no, everything's fine," Luna hastily replied. "I was just taking a break to …" Luna wracked her brain for an excuse which wasn't cliché. Unfortunately she failed. "Admire the scenery," she lamely finished.

Applejack looked past Luna, to where the princess' attention had been fixed moments ago.

"Ah can't blame ya, it sure is a pretty sight," Applejack remarked wistfully. "Even though I know it's full of a lot of fru fruness and namby pamby manners that don't make a lick'o sense, it still feels … magical."

Shocked that Applejack would speak of their friend that way, Luna turned her head to try and see just where Applejack's outrageous impressions stemmed from. She closely examined the distant figure of Twilight, but couldn't discern any of the flaws Applejack alluded to.

Perhaps feeling their scrutiny, Twilight turned around and after a moment, hesitantly waved at them. Luna smiled brightly and energetically waved in return. However her hoof abruptly stopped moving when she realized what Applejack had been talking about. Past Twilight, far away across the rolling hills, made delicate by the distance, Canterlot stood rising from the short but majestic mountains. The sun reflecting off the afternoon's haze lent the city of towers a mystical appearance, as if it were a mirage, or a dream.

Luna's smile fell, and her heart sank. What was she doing? She had allowed herself to become lost in the moment. Her new found fixation with Twilight would possibly be permissible if they were going to be friends for all time. But faced with a reminder of Celestia's presence, Luna knew that she had only a few more precious days to spend with her newfound friend. Once she revealed her duplicity, no doubt Twilight would want nothing to do with her.

The more she took delight in being around Twilight, the harder it would be for Luna when Twilight and Celestia reconciled. And what did it say about her that she was able to be so happy spending time with Twilight, while the pony who truly deserved the wonderful unicorn's affections was most likely despondently holding court only a few minutes away by air?

"Yes, it is quite lovely," Luna agreed sadly. "But I imagine that to somepony looking out of the city in this direction, your verdant fields are every bit as beautiful."

Applejack regarded Luna with some surprise. "Really? You think so?"

Luna smiled sadly to herself. "As the saying goes, 'the grass is greener on the other side.' Like you said, Canterlot is full of high class, and quite honestly, boorish snobs. We like to romanticize that which we don't know, ignoring the drawbacks the lives of others have. I'm sure that there are many ponies in Canterlot who desire to live the simple life in a small town like Ponyville. Just as I'm certain that there are ponies here who yearn for the exciting life they envision must be found in a place like Canterlot."

"Ah reckon you're right. Ah remember when ah was a filly, ah thought Manehatten was some wonderful place where anything could happen. Where ah'd find my cutie mark, discover fame, and fortune, all in a week." Applejack chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Boy howdy was ah wrong. City life, y'all can keep it. Ah guess it's kinda like one of those impressionistic paintings. Real pretty from far away, but just a bunch of splotches of color that don't look anything like you thought it did up close."

Luna looked toward Applejack impressed. "I didn't take you for a pony interested in the arts."

"Ah like to think ah enjoy them as much as the next pony. There always seems to be an art museum next to the convention center the Equestrian Farmer's Society books for its meetins. So after a while, ah got curious and decided to see what was inside 'em. Ah guess ah liked what ah saw."

"Hey you two, what's the hold up?" Twilight called out as she briskly walked toward them. Luna looked around and realized that while she had been speaking with Applejack, Twilight had very nearly completed planting the stakes next to all the trees.

"We got a little distracted ruminatin' on the philosophical and artistic nature of ponies is all," Applejack replied good naturedly.

"Sorry, Twilight."

"Oh," Twilight remarked, a bit discombobulated by Applejack's reply. "Well then, I guess I'll help you, Luna, so we can get through this more quickly."

Luna felt a warm jolt run through her as Twilight's magic slid over and around her own, struggling for control of the ball of twine. She felt an instinctual urge to push the other magic away, to subjugate the weaker power, but she quickly squashed that reaction and instead released her hold on the string. Twilight's relatively light purple magic surrounded the ball and unwound a significant portion of it. She seemed unaware of the effect her magic had on Luna's.

The unraveled length of string stretched until it broke under the strain. Twilight rolled the unwound twine into a small ball. "There we go. I'll take this one and you can keep using this string." She floated the larger ball back toward Luna, offering it to the alicorn.

Luna dryly swallowed, and felt the cold rush pour through her body that indicated her magic was being released. She struggled with it for a moment in a way she hadn't had to in years, attempting to rein it in and not use more then was necessary. Carefully she reached out with only the tiniest fraction of it and gingerly grasped the offered ball of twine, ghosting it along Twilight's power. The glow surrounding the ball darkened to the familiar hue of Luna's magic, and thanks to her close scrutiny of Twilight, Luna was able to see the unicorn shiver slightly as the transfer of control took place. Perhaps she wasn't the only pony to feel the strange sensation arising from mingling magic.

"Th-thank you, Twilight." Luna turned back to the task at hoof, determined to push the thoughts of Twilight and her mentor, Celestia, from her mind through concentrating on doing the job.

In a few hours more, the three ponies had covered the entire field of saplings. All sixty-eight of them. Luna had counted. Even though she had been using magic to do her work, Luna's hooves were hurting from being stood on for so long, and the heat and humidity had sucked nearly all the water and energy from her.

Applejack looked down at the final tree like a mother would regard a favored child. "There ya go Colbert, you're all set. Now you're gonna grow up into a fine tree, ah just know it." She paused for a moment to blink back a tear, wiping the slight excess moisture from the corner of her eye with her hoof. She then looked up and back at the long field of now well maintained trees. "Looks like we finished 'em all. Good job girls. Now we can head back to the barn and sample some of our fine apples and apple accessories."

Luna was relieved that their arduous task was over, and she shared an exhausted smile with Twilight Sparkle. Neither of them seemed to have the energy left to speak.

They paused long enough for Applejack to collect her saddlebags and the remnants of the other tools she had brought with her, before they began the long trek back to the barn. For a moment, Luna flirted with the thought of resting her aching hooves by taking flight. However, she quickly discarded the tempting thought. It seemed unfair of her to hover around, showing off her ability to fly when neither Applejack nor Twilight could follow her into the air. So she decided to be polite and continue to keep pace with the two earthbound ponies. She was an alicorn and a ruler of Equestria after all. If a unicorn and an earth pony could walk such a monumental distance, she could as well.

By the time they reached the Apple family home, Luna was on the verge of collapse. Only the desire to save face in front of the other two ponies, neither of whom seemed fazed by the magnitude of their jaunt, kept her walking.

As they approached the barn, Luna attempted to appear nonchalant by striking up a conversation. "That was certainly an interesting and surprisingly enlightening experience, Applejack."

Applejack regarded Luna with a warm smile. "Ah'm glad y'all came by, and thanks again for the help. I was plannin' on workin' on those trees for a few days more, but thanks to you and Twilight here, I can get back to the more difficult work we need to get through before applebuckin' season starts."

Luna was almost afraid to ask, "More difficult work?"

"Eyup, the early bloomin' apples will be ready for buckin' in a few weeks, and there's still a heap of apples in the cellar from last season that need to be brought up to make room for this year's crop. Why, by this time next week, we'll be hock deep in apple pies, apple cobbler, apple cakes, apple crisps, apple preserves, you name it and we'll make it. Gotta use up the last of those old apples. Though this year won't be near as bad as last year. Last year we still had somethin' like twelve tons of apples we had to get through. Big Mac ate so much he said he had applesauce comin' from his ears. This year though I think we only got about two tons left on hoof."

"Two tons of apples. And you'll be carrying them all by hoof?" Luna asked incredulously.

"Yes ma'am," Applejack proudly replied. "Just a little exercise to help us limber up for applebuckin' season." Her tone grew somewhat annoyed as she continued, "So long as nopony goes and does a foal thing like falling out of the apple loft this year."

Luna shook her head in amazement. She had often heard of the physical labor farmers were subjected to, but she had never fully realized its true extent. Perhaps that was why so many farming ponies were earth ponies; they might be the only ones who could stand up to the physical stress of such a lifestyle.

They were close to the Apple home, when an elderly mare came out and caught sight of them. "You done with that new plot already? That was quick. Good thing I had a feeling I needed to get supper ready early today."

The three ponies walked closer, and Applejack addressed the older mare, "Eyup, thanks to my friends, we were able to get through those trees lickity split. Speakin' of which, Luna, this is Granny Smith. Granny, this here is Miss Luna, my new friend. I hope you don't mind, but I invited her and Twilight here to supper."

The faded green pony squeezed her eyes tightly and peered in Luna and Twilight's direction. "Afternoon Miss Twilight, and hello Miss Luna. It's a pleasure to meet you." She tremulously held out her hoof toward Luna. The princess blankly looked down at it for several moments before she realized that Granny Smith was offering to shake hooves. Luna walked forward and gently took the other pony's hoof in hers, concerned with not using too much force and inadvertently hurting the old mare. However, Luna quickly found out where Applejack had learned to shake hooves as her leg was vigorously pumped by a strength belied by the other pony's delicate frame.

Granny Smith eventually let go of Luna's hoof, although it took Twilight's help for Luna to stop her leg from shaking up and down. Luna had just gingerly put her hoof back on the ground when a pair of ponies, a young filly and quite possibly the largest stallion Luna had ever met, turned the corner of the building. Upon seeing Twilight and Luna, the stallion stopped short, while the filly eagerly closed the gap between them, only stopping when she was close to Applejack, peering curiously at Luna.

"There y'all are," Applejack said. "Come meet Miss Luna." She turned to Luna and introduced the two new ponies. "Miss Luna, this is my brother Big Macintosh, and my little sister Applebloom. Applebloom, Big Mac, this is Miss Luna."

The cute little filly with her hair held back by a bow and with a smudge of dirt along her nose, was obviously trying her hardest to be polite as she approached Luna in measured steps and asked in a voice nearly devoid of the accent shared by Applejack and Granny Smith, "How do you do, Miss Luna?"

Matching the filly's solemnity, Luna bobbed her head in reply. "Very well, Miss Applebloom. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Applebloom held her head high and succinctly replied, "Quite." However she couldn't keep up her façade any longer and broke into a fit of giggles.

Her warm, childish laughter was interrupted by Granny Smith loudly saying, "That's enough of your silliness, Applebloom. Get inside and wash up for supper."

"Yes, Granny." Applebloom's voice now held an accent every bit as thick as Applejacks. Luna watched the filly as she obediently trotted into the house, a smile on her face from the innocent antics of the young pony.

Still smiling, she turned her attention back to Applejack's brother, who seemed even larger now that he had stepped closer to her. She noticed he was wearing a rather substantial plowing collar around his neck, and supposed that he had just returned from some back breaking labor that she was better off not even imagining in her exhausted condition.

He was easily larger and more massive than the many guard ponies who infested the palace. Unlike them though, the red stallion's size wasn't nearly as intimidating. Still, it was with a bit of trepidation that Luna walked to him and offered her hoof in the now familiar ritual of greeting. His sister had nearly wrenched her leg off, what would a hoofshake from such a powerful stallion be like?

"Mr. Macintosh, I believe. It's nice to meet you. I've had a wonderful time today on your family's farm."

Unlike Granny Smith or Applebloom, Macintosh looked first at Luna's horn, then at her wings, and finally down at her outstretched hoof. He glanced over to Applejack with a somewhat conflicted expression on his face. She waved her hoof back and forth, signaling him to get on with it.

Luna was beginning to feel a bit awkward just standing there, sticking her hoof out, but finally Macintosh grasped it as if it were made of delicate crystal, and shook it gently a few times before hastily dropping it.

"It's nice to meet you too. And I'm glad you had a good time, Princess," the stallion drawled around a sprig of wild grass in his mouth.

Luna's smile became a bit wooden at Macintosh's obvious discomfort, as well as his attempt at formality. "Please, just call me Luna. I'm on vacation right now."

"Yes ma'am," Macintosh acquiesced without appearing anymore at ease.

"Well, now that we all know one another, let's get inside afor the food gets cold and the cider gets warm," Granny Smith loudly declared.

With a speed surprising for such a large pony, Macintosh left them and disappeared through the door leading into the house. Applejack, Luna, and Twilight though waited for the slow moving Granny Smith to enter before they passed through the door. As they entered the warm, apple and cinnamon scented building; Twilight leaned in close to Luna and confidentially whispered, "Try not to eat too much pie. Trust me."

Luna looked askance at her friend, but before she could ask her about the cryptic remark, they found themselves in the Apple kitchen. Her first impression was that it was a very cozy room. It was by no means small, but the profusion of cooking implements covering the counters and walls caused it to feel comfortably snug.

The table in the center of the room dominated the space. It was a regular rectangular table, but it was covered so completely in baked goods that Luna could practically see the strain of the legs attempting not to buckle. While she was no stranger to bounteous offerings, this was something else entirely.

As Granny Smith slowly crossed the room, she apologized over her shoulder, "Sorry it's only a light supper tonight, but I woke up from my afternoon nap a little late, and only had time to whip this up." She gingerly lowered herself onto the well worn pillow at the head of the table. Applebloom reappeared through a nearby doorway, her face and hooves freshly scrubbed and lacking the smudges of dirt they had been sporting. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled toward Luna while she took her place at the opposite end of the table from Granny Smith.

The filly's cleanliness reminded Luna that she was feeling a bit sticky from all the heat and exercise she'd been through that day. "Excuse me, Applejack, but is there a place where I may wash my hooves before dinner?"

Applejack had taken a seat next to Applebloom, leaving an open space between her and Granny Smith. Luna noticed that even though they were inside, she hadn't removed her hat. Perhaps she was so used to the weight that she'd forgotten it?

"Yep." Applejack pointed to the door Applebloom had come through. "Straight down the hall, last door on the left."

"Thank you." Luna passed through the doorway and found herself in a wide hallway that narrowed where a flight of stairs leading upwards met it. The décor was just as rustic and charming as the kitchens had been. Luna easily found the bathroom and quickly washed her hooves and face, cleaning off the dust that had been clinging to her all afternoon.

After levitating one of the hoof towels close and drying her face, Luna glanced into the mirror behind the sink and was surprised by her reflection. The bangs of her mane, which usually threatened to cover her eye, had been swept back by the wind, or a hoof wiping away the sweat from her forehead. With her mane pulled back, more of Luna's face was displayed then she was used to. Early in the morning she had felt somewhat naked without her crown, but through the course of the day, Luna had forgotten about its absence. Perhaps it was the slight change in her hair, or the lack of her crown, or maybe even the small but genuine smile she found she'd been unconsciously sporting, but in some way, Luna thought that she looked almost like a different pony. Not Luna of the ignored night, or Nightmare Moon, or even Luna the apologist, but Luna … the farm pony maybe?

She scrunched up her face in distaste at the thought. While she had found a new respect for the hard working farmers of Equestria, Luna knew that she wasn't cut out for so much physical labor. With a final check in the mirror to make sure she hadn't missed a spot, Luna left the bathroom and walked back towards the kitchen, nearly colliding with Macintosh as he came down the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," Macintosh quickly apologized as he even more quickly backed out of Luna's way.

"It's quite alright." Luna noticed that the red pony had lost both the sprig of grass he had been chewing on, as well as the harness he had been wearing earlier, which in no way made him seem any smaller. "And please, there's no reason to be so formal. My friends call me Luna, and I'd like you to be my friend."

"Sorry, ma'am. I'm afraid I'm not used to royalty showing up at my farm unannounced. We're not the most gentle of ponies, if you know what I mean."

Eager to reassure the larger pony, Luna began to hastily speak. "Manners alone aren't necessarily what make a gentlepony. Some of the most dislikable ponies I've known have also been amongst the most polite. All the manners and sophistication in the world can't make up for lacking a noble heart. From what I've seen and heard of your family so far, you're all honest and very hardworking ponies. You should have confidence in yourself, and not worry so much about how others perceive you. While you're perhaps not the most refined ponies in Equestria, I think that anypony who matters can easily see that you have a gentle heart."

Macintosh looked thoughtful for a moment before he asked, "Really?"

Her amusement at the stallion's artlessness bled into Luna's voice as she replied, "Yes. In fact, I'd be proud to count you and your family as my friends. If you'd be willing to accept such a title."

The thought of him being her friend seemed to warm Macintosh. He smiled as if it were one of the more humorous jokes he'd heard. "Thank you kindly, ma'am. I'd be honored to be your friend, Luna. Now I suppose we'd better head to supper. Applejack gets a bit ornery when she gets real hungry." He swept his hoof toward the kitchen. "After you, ma'am."

Luna took his invitation and preceded him into the kitchen.

"… then she told us that when that happens, we need to use sine over cosine," Applebloom was energetically informing the other ponies at the table. "So Diamond Tiara asked Miss Cheerilee just when we were goin' ta use this in the real world. And Miss Cheerilee said it was important for ponies to have a broad understandin' of things, even if they don't necessarily use 'em." The young filly threw up her arms emphatically as she asked, "But what kind of sense does that make? Learnin' somethin' you'll never use?"

Macintosh squeezed into the space between Granny Smith and Applejack, who seemed to be paying more attention to the food placed tantalizingly in front of her then to her little sister.

Luna took the last remaining cushion between Twilight and Applebloom as the purple unicorn, clearly mildly scandalized by the filly's lack of appreciation for trigonometry, began her earnest rebuttal. "But you don't know what information you'll need in the future. For instance, what if you wanted to build a ramp with Scootaloo and needed to calculate the best angle of its incline for her to achieve the desired height and distance on her scooter? Or what if you need to determine the dimensions of a triangle while building the frame for a new building?"

Applebloom respectfully paid attention to the older pony, but appealed to her sister, "Applejack, when was the last time you used somethin' like that?"

Applejack distractedly replied, "Ah can't honestly recollect." She looked up and noticed the look Twilight was shooting her across the table, and quickly added, "But that don't mean it isn't important."

"Applebloom, you pay attention in school and get good grades, you hear. There's more to this world then just farming apples, and if you don't learn as much as you can, you're only hurtin yourself. So mind what your teacher says and work hard," Granny Smith decisively said.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now that's settled, let's give thanks."

Somewhat uncomfortable with her uncertainty, Luna watched as everypony save Twilight and herself bowed their heads in respect.

"Thank you Princess Celestia for providing us with your sunlight, allowing us to grow and enjoy our bountiful harvest," Granny Smith rotely intoned.

Luna noticed the slightly fearful glances Macintosh and Applejack gave her as they raised their heads, and even Twilight surreptitiously gauged Luna's reaction. Luna offered them a small, reassuring smile. She wasn't a stranger to hearing her sister praised, and honestly, what benefits farmers derived from the moon and the stars paled in comparison with their dependence upon the sun. Luna could easily understand why they would prefer to offer her sister praise over herself.

Hoping to stave off any awkwardness, Luna emulated the oblivious Applebloom next to her and leaned down to sample the apple turnover on her plate. She was prepared for it to taste good, but was pleasantly shocked with just how wonderful it turned out to be. The flaky, buttery crust seemed to melt away on her tongue, leaving only a slightly buttery flavor which melded perfectly with the sweet apple paste in the confection's center. The warm tastes played beautifully across her palette, and it was with complete sincerity that she looked up the table and complimented Granny Smith, "This is wonderful. It is beyond a doubt the best apple pastry I've ever had."

Granny Smith smiled appreciatively at Luna's honesty. "Thank you kindly. It's an old family recipe we've perfected over the years. But I think what makes it special is the apples we grow here. Best apples in all Equestria, ask anypony."

"I'm certain they are." Luna turned back to her plate, and allowed the hunger she had developed working in the fields to overcome the table manners that had been instilled in her. In only five more bites, she had finished the turnover. Guiltily she looked around to see if anypony had noticed her breech in etiquette, and was astonished to find that there were already several empty plates stacked next to Applejack, and Macintosh appeared to be quickly devouring his fifth pie. Even young Applebloom had dispatched her apple cakes and had moved on to a plate of apple tarts. Apparently being a farm pony required a massive amount of calories which needed to be replenished.

Luna looked over at Twilight, who, even though she was delicately nibbling at her food, had also far outpaced Luna. Not wishing to be seen as ungrateful, or as if she didn't enjoy the meal, Luna levitated a few nearby baked apples to her plate and set about slicing them into smaller, more manageable portions with her magic.

She had only managed to make her way through one and a half of the succulent treats before she found her appetite more than sated. In fact, she was in danger of becoming uncomfortably full. Thankfully though, the rest of the diners, after having made a substantial impact on the many foodstuffs on the table, had slowed down as well.

Noticing that Applejack was attacking her plate with less ferocity, Luna decided to try her hoof at casual dinner conversation. "You have quite a large farm, Applejack. I noticed that there were other areas besides the apple orchard. Do you take care of them too, or are there other ponies that help with them?"

Applejack looked up at Luna, a bit of applesauce staining her cheek, and she noisily swallowed before answering, "Yep, we've got one of the largest farms in these parts, and we grow just about everything, like apples, carrots, celery, colorful flowers too. There's actually a lot of ponies who work on the different parts of Sweet Apple Acres, each one kinda specialized at what they're good at growing. But we all lend a helping hoof when we need to. Heck, Big Mac here's probably plowed every acre of Sweet Apple Acres least once."

"Eyup," Macintosh agreed wearily.

"Course when it comes to apples, Macintosh and me have it pretty well covered. Between the two of us we can buck all the apple trees round here."

"Don't forget me," Applebloom hotly interjected. "Ah'm gonna help this buckin' season. Ah'm big enough now to buck, honest."

"We'll see. But don't forget, Applebloom, even the strongest tree used to be a saplin'. You might still have some more growin' up to do before you can buck."

Applebloom looked down at her plate and grumbled, "Ah'm not a saplin'. Ah'm a pony, and ah'm big enough to buck."

"Well, if you need any help, don't hesitate to ask," Twilight offered. "Your friends are always ready to help you, and we wouldn't want a repeat of last year."

"Ah appreciate the offer, Twilight, and you don't worry any, ah learned my lesson. If ah need the help, ah'll ask for it. But, no offense, havin' y'all help durin' the harvest feels a bit like if all of us went over and helped you reorganize your library."

"Now that you mention it, it would be helpful if –"

Applejack interrupted Twilight quickly. "What I mean is, it's not everypony that can buck a Sweet Apple Acre tree. I just feel more comfortable with keeping it in the family as much as ah can."

"But it seems like such a large amount of land to cover with just yourself and Macintosh," Luna observed. She noticed Applebloom's heated glance in her direction and quickly added, "And Applebloom."

"We did have more family helpin' us out a while back," Applejack admitted. "But they moved to other parts of Equestria to help other farms and start a few of their own. It's a bit harder with just us now, but we'll just have to make do."

"You ought to do what I've been telling you to," interjected Granny Smith. "Find a nice stallion to settle down with, and have a few colts and fillies, and you won't have to worry about there not being enough hooves around during applebucking season."

A blush quickly spread across Applejack's cheeks as she hotly said, "Granny! Ah already told you, ah'm not ready to settle down yet. I'm still lookin' for that special pony, and anyway, shouldn't you be after Big Mac about this? He's older."

Macintosh regarded his sister with an expression which clearly indicated he wanted no part of the conversation. Luna could feel her own face heating up in sympathy, but a part of her was fascinated by this familial scene so different from the one she was used to.

Granny Smith turned her attention to the large red pony and asked, "How about it Big Mac, why haven't you found a nice filly yet and given me some great grand children to have running around underhoof? Why by the time I was your age, I already had one foal with another on the way."

Macintosh held up his hooves placatingly, while his face wore an expression like he'd tasted something sour. "Well, I –"

"What about that carrot girl across the way?" Granny Smith asked, ignoring whatever Macintosh was about to say. "She seems like a nice enough mare, a little feisty maybe, most orange heads are, but that might be good for a down to earth pony such as yourself."

Macintosh's coat turned several shades brighter as he answered, "Uh, that's-"

This time he was interrupted by Applejack, who had noticed how uncomfortable Luna and Twilight were becoming, neither of them used to such an intimate conversation. "Granny Smith, we have guests. Ah don't think that now is the time to be havin' this discussion."

The frail green mare seemed to either mishear or misunderstand Applejack's message. She looked over at Twilight and Luna and loudly said, "Oh no, they wouldn't do at all. Well, maybe Twilight. She's a hard worker, but I can't see her running a farm. And Miss Luna's hips are too narrow for an easy foaling. Trust me; if there's one thing I know about, it's hips. No offense girls."

Luna could swear that her face felt as hot as Celestia's sun, and she noticed that Twilight seemed almost as embarrassed as her. However the unicorn was able to find her voice, which was more than Luna could claim. "Oh, no offense taken. I'm sure that whomever Big Mac ends up with will be one lucky pony. But I agree with you that neither of us are probably the filly for him." Twilight's voice, and the nervous chuckle that succeeded her statement, where rife with mortification.

Luna glanced surreptitiously down at her lower body. There wasn't anything wrong with her hips, was there? Certainly she couldn't claim to have the wonderful proportions of her sister, but that didn't mean that there was anything wrong with the way she looked. Did it?

"Twilight I…" began Macintosh in his slow drawl and a strange expression on his face while looking down at the smaller pony. But he was once again interrupted by Applejack.

"Twilight, Luna, don't worry none about what Granny Smith said. Sometimes she just gets a bee in her bonnet about somethin', and says some things she doesn't mean."

"Hmph, you're going to have them not believe a word I say."

Applejack looked at Granny Smith a bit incredulously. "Well, some things just shouldn't be said. Especially about two ponies as nice as Twilight and Luna here. Besides which, I think Twilight would make a wonderful partner for anypony, and Miss Luna has some of the nicest hips ah've ever seen."

Luna had no idea when the discussion had made a turn for such awkward territory, but she appreciated the sincerity behind Applejack's words. "Th-thank you, I think."

Luckily, before the conversation could become even more embarrassing, Applebloom spoke up with a long suffering tone. "Ah'm finished; may I be excused to go play with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle?"

Applejack looked down at her sister. "Did you finish your homework?"

"Yes."

"And your chores?"

"Yes."

"Then you can go play. But make sure you're back before seven. You still need to take a bath before you go to bed."

"Okay, Applejack." Applebloom sprang away from the table and out the door, obviously anxious not to waste a second of her time with her friends.

Granny Smith sighed and commented, "I don't know about you youngins, but I've just about had my fill."

The food on the table had been fairly well decimated. There was a final bastion remaining between Luna and Twilight, but the Apple family had finished off the rest. Frankly, Luna was amazed at how hungry she had been, and how much food she had eaten. Why she had nearly finished off two whole plates by herself. "I'm quite full as well, thank you, that was a wonderful meal."

Granny Smith eyed the surplus of food before Luna. "You sure you've had your fill?" she asked unconvinced. "We've got some caramel apples, and some candy apples if you like, for dessert."

"No thank you, I think we're both done," Twilight said, glancing at Luna to make sure she was speaking for both of them.

"Alright, if you say so. But I really think you should have some more. You girls hardly touched your food."

"No thank you, really, we're full."

Granny Smith sighed to herself resignedly. "Well, if you're sure. I suppose we can clear the table then."

Luna began to stand, ready to help clean up the mess. After all, even though she'd never cleaned dishes before, she was certain that it couldn't be that difficult. She probably wouldn't even catch anything on fire this time.

Applejack had also risen, and seeing Luna getting up, she quickly said, "Don't you worry none about cleanin' up the table, Luna. Me and Granny can handle it."

"Are you sure? I'd hate to trespass upon your kindness any further. I am a guest in your house after all."

Applejack smiled wryly. "Yep, you are a guest, and you've already helped us out a bunch today. What kind of hosts would we be if we forced you to do every little thing?"

Luna sank back down onto the cushion. "If you're sure…"

"Positive."

Applejack began stacking dirty dishes atop one of the larger platters on the table. Once the stack was unnervingly high and unstable, she picked the platter up with her mouth and carried it over to the sink where Granny Smith had begun running water. Macintosh hurriedly finished the last few bites of an apple crisp before his sister returned and confiscated his plate.

Without the distraction of the food in front of them, Twilight, Luna, and Macintosh shared an awkward silence, broken only by the background sound of running water and the delicate clink of crockery.

Uncomfortable with the silence, Luna attempted to break it. "So, you certainly have a large farm, Macintosh."

"Eyup."

Obviously it was going to be a bit difficult to develop a dialogue with such a terse conversationalist.

"You were wearing a harness earlier. What were you working on today?"

Macintosh looked around, as if to see if anypony was going to interrupt him, before he slowly answered, "I was over plowing on the beet field, so we can get 'em planted before applebucking season."

Luna thought she hid her distaste well, but Twilight screwed up her face reflexively. "Yuck, beets. I don't like those too much."

Macintosh chuckled at Twilight's obvious dislike for the vegetables. "Not too many ponies do, I reckon. But these won't be for eating. We sell them to a company over in Fillydelphia that processes them to make sugar."

Twilight's ears and faced perked up at the mention of the sweet substance. "Sugar? But I thought that sugar came from sugarcane."

That information was more than Luna had known. She had only the vaguest notion of where sugar came from. Actually, she had assumed that it was mined like salt.

Macintosh leaned back comfortably as he rumbled, "Well, some of it does. But sugarcane can only grow in a small part of Equestria, where it's hot most of the year. These beets can grow in a lot more places, so even though they don't make as much sugar per pound, most of the sugar we use comes from 'em."

"Huh, I never knew that," Twilight said contemplatively.

"Neither did I," admitted Luna. "But I must admit that there has been much that I've learned today that I didn't know before. I never imagined that so much knowledge was needed to run a farm."

"I reckon it's like any other profession, you need a bit more education then what you get in school. Though I suppose it's slightly different in that a lot of what me and AJ know, we learned from our parents and other farmer ponies. Not a whole lot of it's written down. But every once in a while, we all get together for an Equestrian Pomological Society meeting and trade tips and news about how to grow apples and whatnot."

Luna was intrigued by the word which rolled so expertly off the stallion's tongue. "Pomological?"

"Yeah, as in pomology. It's a type of botany that's mainly about apples and other fruit like cherries, dates, peaches, things like that."

Twilight broke in excitedly, "I never knew that there was a branch of science dedicated to apples!"

Twilight's excitement must have been infectious, or perhaps the red pony had warmed up to the subject matter. Eagerly, well as eagerly as Macintosh seemed capable of being, he replied, "Yep, pomology is a pretty interesting subject, least in my opinion. There's even an orchard run by the Royal Equestrian University where they crossbreed different species of apples to come up with new kinds. There's other branches of science that are kind of like it, but they focus on things like wheat, corn, and other crops too. Trying to figure out ways to make them grow bigger, stronger, and in more places."

He paused and ran his tongue over his lips, as if searching for his sprig of grass. "I think it's like anything else. Weather ponies study about clouds and weather, unicorn ponies study magic, and farming ponies study farming. No matter what a pony does for a living, there's a lot of stuff you have to know in order to do it. Just because a pegasus doesn't know how to grow an apple, or a unicorn doesn't know what kind of cloud does what, or I don't know how the unified theory of magic works, doesn't mean that one pony's smarter than the other. Just that' they've chosen to learn about something important to them."

Luna had never considered it quite that way before. She had been aware that some occupations, such as weather patrol required specialized training, but she had assumed that jobs, such as farming, could be accomplished with only a minimum of education. However, as Applejack and Macintosh had demonstrated, farming appeared to require a wealth of knowledge just as in-depth as the more prestigious occupations. Perhaps the world wasn't as quite the simple place Luna had thought it was.

Her ruminations on the complexity of farm life were interrupted by the sounds of dishes being washed coming to a halt, and Applejack wandering back over to join them moments later.

"Ah'm mighty glad you came by today, Luna. Ah 'preciate the help." She seemed a bit nervous as she asked, "So, what'd you think about our apples?"

"They're simply wonderful," Luna gushed. "Absolutely the finest apples I've ever tasted. When I return to Canterlot, I assure you that I'll be speaking with the palace's chefs about changing their supplier."

Applejack beamed proudly, and Macintosh's smile was nearly as large. Before either sibling could say anything though, Granny Smith hobbled past the table. "All this cooking and cleaning has got me tuckered out. I'm going to go take a short nap before going to bed. You youngins don't stay up too late. And Big Mac, if somepony wanted to go a-courting and accidentally stayed out late for some reason, the parlor window's unlocked and real quiet."

"I'll keep that in mind. Have a nice nap, Granny."

The rest of the ponies echoed their well wishes, and Twilight and Luna profusely thanked the tired old mare for the wonderful dinner. Granny Smith nodded happily in reply, then disappeared deeper into the house.

Applejack sat down at the table, resting her forelegs on its now cleared top. With open sincerity she said to Luna, "Ah'm glad you liked our apples. We put a lot of work into growin' them, and it feels great when somepony else appreciates 'em."

Luna's legs were still aching from the inordinate amount of exercise they'd been subjected to. The dull pain caused Luna to remark sympathetically, "Yes, I think I can appreciate just how much effort you have to put into this farm. But thank you for caring enough to produce such wonderful fruit." Luna's eyes fell from Applejack's green ones, to study the newly interesting grains on the surface of the table. "And that's why I feel I have to apologize. I'm sorry."

Applejack's voice betrayed her confusion as she leaned low over the table, trying to look up into Luna's face. "Sorry? For what?"

"There's nothing I see that you need to be apologizing for," Macintosh stated. His deep voice almost daring Luna to come up with a reason she should be asking for his forgiveness.

Luna sighed. "I'm sorry for trying to bring about eternal night, twice. At the time I was only thinking about myself, and didn't spare even a moment's consideration for how the absence of the sun would affect the ponies of Equestria." Well, other than the thought of how it would force them to start appreciating her as much as they celebrated Celestia. "You work so hard, and produce such wonderful things, and I would have destroyed all that simply because I was being selfish."

Applejack reached across the table and tilted Luna's chin up with her hoof until the mares' eyes met one another. "Luna, don't fret about that. From what ah understand, that was Nightmare Moon talkin', not you. 'Sides which, I think I can understand a bit how you felt. Ah know what it's like to work hard on somethin' you're proud of, then share it with somepony and have them throw it back in your face. Why, ah reckon if ah'd been in your shoes, ah might have acted the same way you did."

Luna's eyes were a bit dewy at just how large the orange pony's heart was, and how easily she was forgiving her, as she choked out, "Really?"

"Eyup. Knowing AJ, she probably would have replaced all the food in Equestria with apples."

"Or maybe she would have turned all the plants into apple trees until everypony loved apples," Twilight suggested.

Applejack cut her brother and Twilight a less then amused glare. "Harr de har harr." Her expression softened as she turned back to Luna. "The point ah was trying to make, is that you made a mistake. One that ah think anypony could have. Course not everypony could pull off what you tried, but you don't need to apologize for it. Just so long as you know you made a mistake, and realize you were wrong. 'Sides, you've already been punished for it enough in my opinion. There's no sense in beatin' yourself up further over it."

Twilight leaned over and rested a hoof on Luna's shoulder. "She's right, Luna. We're your friends, and we've already forgiven you. You just need to forgive yourself now."

Luna looked around the table, her tears threatening to overwhelm her. "Do you really mean it, are we friends?"

There was a chorus of, "Why of course we are," "Eyup," and, "The best of friends!"

Faced with such an outpouring of goodwill, Luna smiled warmly and gratefully at Twilight, and then turned to the Apple siblings. "Then, as my friends, I hope that the next time you come to Canterlot, you decide to stay in the palace, as my guests. I believe that there's going to be a festival in the next month or so, and I hope that you'll attend. I've never been to a festival with my friends before. Perhaps it will give you a chance to better understand city life, and possible you'll be able to teach the gentleponies what it is to be noble."

Macintosh appeared as if the thought of him in Canterlot was the funniest thing he'd heard all night, while Applejack leaned back contemplatively. "At this festival, will there be any buffets?"

"I-I'm not sure." Luna wracked her brain, but such a question had never occurred to her as needing to be asked.

Applejack looked over at her brother. "We'd better take an extra cart of apples then, just in case. We might need them to make some fancier food for the ponies that think they're too good for regular appletastic treats."

"Well, we'll let you two figure out the logistics of your trip," Twilight spoke up. "But right now, we'd better be going. I left Spike alone at the library, and while I trust him not to get into too much trouble, you just never know."

Twilight stood up from the table, and regretfully Luna did as well. Her body had appreciated resting on the soft cushion, and now seemed to ache even more then before she had sat down. "If we must be going, then we must be going. Farewell Applejack, Macintosh. Thank you for a wonderful and most memorable day."

"Goodbye, Luna, goodbye, Twilight. Thanks for all your help today." Applejack came around the table and gave Luna a surprise farewell hug. "And don't be surprised when we show up on your doorstep, Luna."

Luna smiled kindly. "I'm looking forward to it."

With a small wave in Macintosh's direction and their farewells made, Twilight and Luna left the Apple home and began to retrace their steps from Sweet Apple Acres to Ponyville. The sun was swollen and low on the horizon as they walked along the compacted dirt road.

"Uh, I always eat too much whenever I visit the Apples during mealtimes," Twilight complained.

Luna looked compassionately over at her companion and saw that Twilight was a bit more … rotund than normal. But in Luna's opinion it wasn't a bad look for the unicorn. Perhaps Granny Smith was right in her feeling that the unicorn wasn't eating enough. "They certainly do provide an enormous amount of food. I suppose it takes a lot of energy to keep a farm running as effectively as they do."

"More energy than it takes to study," Twilight agreed. "I usually only have a daffodil and daisy sandwich or something light like that for dinner."

"No wonder Mrs. Smith thought you were undernourished," kidded Luna.

"I didn't notice you eating your share."

Luna puffed herself up with false self-importance. "I'm afraid that I have to carefully monitor what I partake of. All of Equestria looks up to my sister and I, and it wouldn't do at all if we simply let ourselves overindulge and enter into an unhealthy lifestyle."

Twilight rolled her eyes as she replied, "Of, of course not, Your Highness."

Luna maintained her haughty attitude for a few seconds longer. But Twilight's disbelieving expression and disingenuous tone caused a spurt of laughter to bubble out of her, breaking her façade. A moment later and Twilight's laugher joined hers, causing Luna to laugh more, which in turn egged on Twilight's laughter. Truthfully, Luna wasn't even sure why she was laughing. Other then the fact that Twilight's reaction had been adorable, and for some reason she felt happy and warm. She was laughing because she naturally had to, like she had to breathe, or had to blink. At that moment, she had to laugh.

Eventually though, their laughter calmed down, although there were a couple of false ends which led to brief jags of further laughing. Finally Luna caught her breath, though a large smile was indelibly left on her face.

"You know, I think that's the first time I've heard you laugh," Twilight mused.

"Really?" Luna thought back over her time with Twilight. Surely there had been a previous occasion when she'd laughed. It wasn't as if she were a naturally somber pony or one prone to bouts of depression. Thinking upon it, she was surprised with just how little time she had spent in the gifted unicorn's company. For some reason it felt as if she'd known Twilight for all her life. Or at least the part of it after she'd been released from her nightmare.

"Yes," stated Twilight with certainty. "I'd definitely remember it if I'd heard something so enchanting before. You should really laugh more often."

Luna hoped that the fading light from the setting sun hid the blush she could feel rising from Twilight's compliment. It was several seconds before she trusted herself to speak without her voice betraying her. "I suppose I just didn't have much to laugh about before now. But right now, I just feel … happy." She laughed a little, mostly at herself, because she couldn't explain the way she was feeling clearly. She felt warm and bubbly, like all was right with the world, and no matter what happened, things would turn out fine.

"I know what you mean," Twilight said with a sigh and a distant tone. "Before I came to Ponyville, before I met my friends, I spent nearly all my time studying. All day and well into the night, only taking a break for classes. I locked myself away from everypony and surrounded myself with my books. I was so caught up in learning that I didn't have time for friends or for fun that didn't involve reading and studying. In fact, I didn't realize it until later, but the only time I felt true joy, the only time I was deeply happy, was the time I spent with Princess Celestia."

Twilight's tone grew wistful, and her tongue practically caressed Celestia's name. The warm feeling that had suffused through Luna moments before quickly contracted. Her insides knotted as she prepared herself to listen to Twilight sing her sister's praises.

"Don't get me wrong. I thoroughly enjoy books and learning. There's a sense of satisfaction, of accomplishment, a certain sense of happiness that you get from them that I haven't found anywhere else." She sighed. "But at the same time, sometimes that isn't enough. The wonderful times I've spent with Princess Celestia, and later with my friends here, they've given me a joy and happiness that I never knew I was missing until I found it. Now, I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything in the world."

Twilight's gaze had drifted to a place or time where Luna couldn't follow. But as she finished speaking, Twilight blinked a few times and returned to Equestria. She looked over at Luna a bit sheepishly. "Sorry. I got a bit sappy there. I don't often do that, and Spike usually catches it when I do."

The cold knot in Luna's stomach had eased somewhat, but still she felt like a terrible pony for hiding the truth from Twilight. What further happiness, what fond memories was she denying her friend out of selfishness?

"It wasn't sappy at all," Luna reassured her friend. "In fact, I think it was a lovely sentiment. I well know how fleeting happiness can be when you search for it alone."

The two mares lapsed into a silence that lasted for several minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. They were nearly at the outskirts of Ponyville, with only a single hill separating them from the bridge leading into town. Luna knew that she had broken the jocular mood she and Twilight had been sharing, and had chased her friend's mirth away. She wished she had the skills that other ponies seemed to come by naturally to lighten the mood. She was sure that if any of Twilight's real friends had been there, they would know exactly what to say.

As Celestia put away her weary sun, a random idea floated into Luna's mind. Twilight might not be her friend in a few days when she learned of Luna's selfish actions, but at least the princess would be able to give her something memorable in the meantime to make up for the memories she was missing out on by being with her.

The stars revealed by the absence of the sun's light rained down their ineffectual glow as Luna slowed to a stop. Twilight continued walking for a few feet before she too stopped and looked questioningly back at Luna.

Luna commented tremulously, "Celestia has been planning a new holiday. The Winter Moon Celebration, to be held on the longest night of the year. She wants to hold it to honor the moon, and me. I've been practicing something for the festival, and I was wondering if maybe you could watch it and tell me if it's any good."

"Of course, Luna."

"Just stay right there."

As the sun had set, Luna had noticed a pair of trees at a distance from the side of the road that would hopefully be suitable for her purpose. She trotted over to a spot she thought was roughly between Twilight and the trees, and slowly let out a breath. She was nervous, and her heart was beating rapidly, anxious over not making a mistake in front of her friend, and what the unicorn's judgment of her performance was going to be. She closed her eyes and flexed her magic like a well used muscle. Far away, but as close as her heart, Luna could feel the moon patiently waiting. She unfurled her wings and opened her eyes long enough to rest them on the dark shadow that was Twilight. She closed them tightly and sprang into the air.

As she pushed herself up, pumping her wings vigorously with the effort, Luna pulled up the moon, attempting to match its movements to the beat of her wings. With a final thrust, she propelled her body high into the air, throwing out her hooves to embrace the sky as the moon burst out from behind the thick foliage of the trees, partially haloed by the curve between them.

Below her, Luna could hear a single pair of hooves stomping in appreciation, and in her mind the sound became the adulations of thousands. Leaving the moon to continue its trek across the sky, Luna glided down to where the now midnight purple unicorn waited for her. Softly alighting next to Twilight, Luna was buoyed by how enthusiastically her friend was responding to her display.

"Wow that was great, Luna!"

"Do you really think so? I was afraid that I still didn't have the timing exactly right. I've been practicing, but I've been too embarrassed to let anypony see me do it."

"It was wonderful." But her voice became contemplative as she added, "although …"

"Yes?"

Twilight's tone turned strict and analytical. "Well, taking into account the fact that you were performing in an environment you had no control over, you did very well in my opinion. However, I think that it could have been more impressive if you take into account the angle that your audience will be spectating from. You might want to bring the performance to a climax while the moon is lower in the sky and you're closer to the watching ponies, creating the illusion that you're larger and the moon is more magnificent than normal. I also think that perhaps you raised your hooves a bit too early and tempered the dramatic impact of the image." Finished with her analysis, Twilight seemed to recollect who she was speaking to, and apologetically offered, with a nervous smile, "But still, it looked great."

Luna felt a bit disappointed by Twilight's quite honest critique. But she reminded herself that there was a reason she was practicing the maneuver. She wasn't perfect at it yet, and Twilight was simply giving her opinion. "Well, there's several months left before I'm going to perform it for all Equestria. I'll keep practicing, but I'm not sure how well I'll improve without somepony watching and giving me advice. Perhaps you could come to Canterlot and help me practice?"

"But, Luna, surely there's other ponies who could help you. You don't need me."

"I don't feel comfortable practicing in front of other ponies. When I'm with somepony, I always feel so self-conscious, afraid that I'll do or say something that will make them think less of me," Luna admitted. "But when I'm with you, it's different. I feel … comfortable around you. I don't think it can be any other pony. Please say you'll come."

Twilight searched Luna's moonlit eyes for several seconds before she bashfully turned away and softly agreed, "Alright."

"Thank you, Twilight."

The two ponies began to walk towards Ponyville once more. A silence fell between them again, but this time it was soft and companionable. As the lights of Ponyville came into view, Luna reveled in the feelings of companionship she felt in the warm summer air, and resolved to put away her fears and concerns until tomorrow.

There were few ponies on the street as they passed through the town. Most of the residents were likely already preparing for bed. Some of the ponies they passed nodded politely or even waved to them. Twilight and Luna nodded and waved in reply, and soon found themselves back at Twilight's tree house. The many windows of which were warmly and welcomingly lit. Twilight opened and held the door for Luna before securely closing it behind them.

"There you are, Twilight," Spike greeted them. "I thought you were going to be back hours ago."

Twilight brushed past Luna and walked over to her assistant who appeared in the doorway leading to the kitchen, his arms crossed in displeasure. "I'm sorry Spike, but we got caught up helping Applejack, and then one thing led to another and we stayed for dinner."

"Hmph. It's nice to know someone got to eat dinner at a reasonable time at least."

"Didn't you find the grass and hay sandwiches I left out for you?" Twilight asked anxiously, obviously concerned for the baby dragon.

"Well yeah, but I'm tired of that pony stuff," Spike complained. "I know we have some sapphires, but I can't find them."

Twilight's concern evaporated and she rolled her eyes before giving Spike a somewhat annoyed look. "There's a reason for that you know. Every time we get sapphires, you sit down and eat the whole bag in one sitting."

Spike threw up his arms emphatically. "I can't help it! They just taste so good. Please, Twilight, I've been smelling them all day and it's been driving me crazy. Please, let me have just one. Please!" Spike fell to his knees in front of Twilight as he begged her.

"Weeeeeellllllll …" Twilight said as she looked upwards contemplatively. A smile graced Luna's face at the cute scene. She could tell that Twilight was just pretending to deliberate with herself. She knew that the unicorn had already decided to give into the demands of the diminutive dragon. "Alright. But just one. And afterwards, you need to get ready for bed."

"Aw, but, Twilight, I'm not tired yet," Spike whined.

Despite his objection, Twilight leveled a stern glare down at the dragon, and after a few seconds of silence, he slumped in defeat. "Okay. But I get to choose the sapphire," he said in an attempt to save some face at least.

"Deal." Twilight's horn glowed, and on a nearby bookshelf, a rather nondescript tome unshelved itself and floated toward her. She held it low to the floor, just in front of Spike, and opened it, revealing that it was actually a wooden box split evenly down the middle, disguised as a book. In its hollow cavity was a small velvet bag that Twilight spread open to reveal several large blue crystals.

Spike's eyes grew wide and he unconsciously licked his scaly lips as he stared down covetously at the bounty spread before him. He spent several long, agonizing moments examining each of the jewels before he selected one of the larger sapphires.

As he took a satisfied bite from the precious stone, Twilight snapped the faux book closed and whisked it away to the higher shelves, out of sight of the dragon. "There, I hope you're happy."

"Oh yeah," Spike said through a mouthful of gem.

"Good. After you're done, make sure you get ready for bed. I need to go draw a bath. We worked up a sweat at Applejack's today." She turned to Luna and apologetically continued, "Although my tub is a bit small, so we'll have to take turns."

"That's alright." Honestly, Luna would have felt a bit uncomfortable bathing with somepony else. True there wasn't anything about it that should make her feel uncomfortable. But for some reason, the act of cleaning oneself seemed intimate to Luna, and something that should be shared only with somepony that she trusted without reservation.

Twilight led Luna down a twisting staircase to a room in the bowels of the tree. It had a long but narrow window close to the ceiling, made of frosted glass; its cool light bathed the room in dim shadows. With a flick of her magic, Twilight lit several squat candles spread throughout the room. Their warm light and pleasing aroma quickly spread throughout the small space.

Luna had never thought about it before, but if she had pictured what a library's bathroom would be like, it probably would have been similar to what she found in Twilight's. There were thick root-like wooden ribs lining the walls, in-between which were squeezed several bookshelves. The many candles Twilight had lit were perched on the shelves alongside stacks of pastel colored towels, brightly colored bottles, a wide variety of soaps and lotions, and the occasional stern bust of pony philosophers long dead.

The only thing that felt a bit odd was the fact that there weren't any books on the shelves. In fact, the only books in the room were in a short stack on a table next to the low and wide bathtub. A stack which was quickly surrounded by a purple glow and forcefully shoved into the cabinet beneath the sink before Luna had the chance to read any of the titles.

"Sorry if it's a bit messy, I don't clean up in here as often as I should," Twilight apologized with a suspiciously innocent air as she straightened a few of the nearby towels.

It actually wasn't messy at all in Luna's opinion. The bathroom's fixtures were solid wood, highly polished, with stylized gryphon clawed feet gripping the floor. The only hint of disorder came from the many bottles in the room partially filled to different points, jumbled together in a dizzying array of color.

"So, did you want bubbles in your bath?" Twilight asked as she turned the tap over her tub.

"Oh. Yes, I suppose so." Luna's reply was a bit distracted as she surveyed Twilight's bathroom.

Tendrils of steam were beginning to rise from the rushing water as Twilight plucked up a pink glass bottle from the shelf across the room. She floated it over to the bath and dropped a dollop into the rapidly filling tub. Soon a thick layer of bubbles was pushing upwards toward the rim of the tub.

"I'll let you have the first turn, and I'll go make some tea. I always love having a cup after a nice bath, it makes me feel warm inside and out."

Luna was about to protest against the preferential treatment, but she was feeling a bit uncomfortable with being so dirty. So with soft sincerity, Luna replied, "Thank you, Twilight."

"You're welcome. There's some conditioner and shampoo next to the tub, but if you want a different kind, there's lots more on the shelf over there." She pointed with her hoof at a shelf under the far window. "Rarity brought them for one of our sleepovers, and she told me to try them out to find one that I liked."

Luna eyed the profusion of bottles as she said, "Thank you. I think that I'll be able to find something I like. Rarity must have brought a sample of every shampoo in Equestria."

"Probably," Twilight laughed good naturedly as she walked over to the door. "I'll come back to check on you in a few minutes."

"Alright."

After Twilight had closed the door behind her, Luna stepped closer to the wooden tub to better examine it. It wasn't that bathtubs were a novel experience for her; it was simply that this was the first time that she had used one quite so small. The bathtub in her bathroom back in the Canterlot palace was easily ten times as large as Twilight's. In fact, it was more a private heated wading pool then a bathtub. It's deeper end rose over Luna's head and she had to actually swim when she ventured to that side.

Despite Twilight's bath being much smaller, it felt positively delightful as Luna slowly stepped into it, and the heat from the water began to ease the tight muscles in her leg. The water was hot, but not uncomfortably so. So Luna stepped fully in and slowly sat down in the relatively shallow water. Her movements pushed the foamy bubbles up to her chin, and a few of the larger ones broke free and began to float away.

A childish impulse ran through her and Luna smiled guiltily. She looked around to make sure nopony was watching, then leaned forward and popped the nearest bubble with her horn before it could float beyond her reach. She giggled as its soapy residue splashed against her forehead, and began aiming for the next closest bubble. The next couple of minutes were filled with the sounds of Luna's partially stifled giggles interrupted by the soft pops of soap bubbles and watery splashes as she moved around the tub to try and better reach the escaping airborne menace.

Eventually Luna ran out of bubbles. She tried blowing on the foam still in the bath, but the bubbles were too small and simply scattered, falling back into the water. She was a bit disappointed that her bath time fun was over, but she supposed that she should start bathing in earnest. Twilight was waiting her turn after all.

She turned her attention to the row of bottles on the shelf next to the tub. With her magic, Luna randomly lifted a light purple one which was labeled with a large strawberry. She uncorked the bottle and brought it close to her nose, and found that it smelled pleasantly sweet and fruity.

Luna levitated a nearby luffa over and applied a small stream of the viscous soap to it. Soon she was quickly building up a sweet smelling lather as she scrubbed herself. The heat from the water felt wonderful as she stretched out her limbs to reach everything. She still ached, but it was a pleasant ache rather than the overused and abused ache her muscles had been suffering from before.

Starting to feel the tiniest bit wrinkly, Luna rinsed herself off, and somewhat regretfully left the bath behind. She dried herself, using a trio of towels to simultaneously dry her mane, body, and tail. She had just hung up the towels to dry and picked up a brush and comb to tackle her mane, when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

Twilight opened the door and glanced toward the bathtub before resting her gaze on Luna. She appeared almost disappointed for a moment, but Luna attributed the impression to her imagination. Twilight's tone and expression were cheerful as she asked, "Finished already?"

"Yes. I stepped out of the tub just now." Luna turned to the mirror over the nearby sink. With its help she began to hastily run the brush through her mane and the comb through her tail as she admitted, "Though I was tempted to linger for a bit longer. The hot water felt wonderful."

Twilight's hoofsteps were muted on the hardwood floor, and Luna watched her reflection cross the room as Twilight offered, "Well, if you'd like, you can take some more time and have another bath."

"I couldn't possibly do that. You haven't had a chance to get clean yet, and it's your bath. What manner of guest would I be if I monopolized your bathroom?" Luna's hair appeared more or less as it normally did, both ends. She set the grooming tools down as she turned to face her host. "Besides, after all that manual labor today, I fear that if I stayed too long in the bath, I'll fall asleep. I'm certain that you don't want an unconscious, waterlogged princess in your bathtub."

"I guess you're right." Twilight turned her head and began to magically gather various bottles from around the room. "If you'd like, the tea is ready in the kitchen, and there's still some grass and hay sandwiches left in case you were feeling hungry."

Luna let out a short laugh that caused Twilight's ears to turn in her direction. "After that meal at Sweet Apple Acres, I'm not sure that I'll ever be hungry again. But a cup of tea sounds wonderful."

"If it's cold, just tell Spike to warm it up for you," Twilight called out after Luna as she made her way toward the door.

"Take your time bathing. If you're feeling anywhere as sore as I was, the water will feel delightful." Luna quietly closed the door behind her and climbed the stairs leading up to the rest of the library. She easily found her way back to the kitchen, which she entered just in time to find Spike with his claw in the jewel jar.

He had frozen when Luna walked into the kitchen, standing on a stool next to the counter, his arm outstretched and plunged deep into a clay jar with the word 'GEMS' etched into the side. They stared at one another for a few long seconds. Spike's wide eyed guilt was palpable.

Luna broke the tableau by quietly stating, "I thought that Twilight said you were allowed only a single sapphire before bed."

"Well, yeah. But she didn't say anything about rubies, emeralds," he pulled his claw out of the jar and looked down at the stone he had retrieved, "or topaz."

"Hmmmm. I believe that what Twilight meant was that you weren't allowed to have any more jewels before bed."

Spike began to look even more worried as he nervously asked, "You're not going to tell her are you?"

"Weeeeeellllllll …" Luna drawled in her best Twilight imitation.

"Please don't tell her," cried Spike as he hoped off the stool and rushed over to cling to Luna's forelegs. "Please, I'll do anything. You don't know what she's like when she gets 'I'm not angry, just disappointed.'"

Luna smiled down at the dragon and couldn't resist his adorable eyes. "I suppose I can keep silent about it this time. But you'd better hurry up before Twilight gets out of the bath."

"Thank you, Princess Luna!"

"No, thank you, Spike. The tea you made this morning was excellent. I'm sorry that I haven't had the opportunity to thank you for it earlier."

Spike waved his claw dismissively as he replied, "Aw, after the hundredth or so time making it at two in the morning, anyone could do it as well as I could."

"Perhaps, but it wasn't anypony who made it. It was you. Thank you."

Spike blushed with pride and simply answered, "You're welcome," before he made his exit toward the bedroom.

Luna smiled as she watched him go. She then settled down at the kitchen table and prepared herself a cup of tea. She had barely drunk a third of it before Twilight made her appearance. She appeared fresh and refreshed from the bath, and in companionable silence she joined Luna at the table, pouring a cup of tea for herself.

Though the warm water of the bath had curbed most of the aching in her muscles, Luna still felt somewhat physically exhausted. Her body was crying out for rest, but her mind was wide awake thanks to the early hour. But what better place to rest the body and exercise the mind then a library?

"I'm not feeling tired at all," Luna confessed to Twilight as they were cleaning up the teacups. "Would it be alright if I studied in your library for a few hours?"

Twilight smiled and replied, "That's fine. In fact I was planning on staying up myself, to catch up on my reading."

They left the kitchen and entered the library proper. Twilight walked toward the stairs leading up to the bedroom, calling out over her shoulder, "I'll just go put Spike to bed and come back to join you." She paused on the first step as an expression of dawning realization washed over her. "We can be study buddies! I've never had one before, but I read about them when I was studying the proper methods of studying. I always thought it sounded like fun, peers helping on another to learn a subject. But I never had the opportunity before." Twilight cantered over to Luna eagerly. "So, what topic were you planning on studying?"

In the face of such exuberance, and with Twilight's large purple eyes sparking excitedly at her, Luna balked a bit as she replied, "Uh, well, I hadn't actually settled on a definitive topic as of yet."

"Oh, then we should totally study love. I think I have a good grasp on the basics, but I still don't understand everything about it. Why don't you gather all the books you can find on love, relationships, friendships, and maybe even enemyships. Wait, is that a word? Anyway, they say that a good way to learn about something is to study its opposite." She looked away and tapped her chin thoughtfully with her hoof. "Although, is hate really the opposite of love? Wouldn't it be apathy?" She turned toward Luna with an excited grin and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well, I guess we'll find out! Right, study buddy? I'll be right back."

Luna couldn't help but smile wryly as the energized unicorn raced up the stairs. It wasn't everypony who could get so excited by the prospect of a night full of reading. She turned her attention to the massive bookshelves lining the walls, and began browsing their titles. As she walked beside the shelves she pulled the occasional promising book from its brethren with her magic. By the time Twilight returned, a rather substantial stack of books was floating next to Luna. She split the stack in two and set the books down on a nearby table while taking a seat next to a conveniently placed oil lamp. "I think these should provide enough material to get us started."

"Definitely. With this many books, we should get a good foundation at least." Twilight took a seat across the table from Luna and slid one of the stacks of books closer to herself. She then conjured up a stack of blank paper and retrieved an inkwell and a quill. Twilight floated the top book off the pile, and after a cursory examination of the title, eagerly cracked it open. Soon she was lost to the literary world, only pausing long enough to jot down the occasional scratchy note.

Luna didn't immediately delve into her own stack of books. Instead she spent a minute or two observing her friend. The purple unicorn was once again focusing on the task at hoof with the same single minded determination that she had shown while working earlier. Luna was quickly coming to find the expression charming, and she hoped that someday somepony would look at her with such intense focus.

Abandoning her study of Twilight, Luna opened the first book of her own stack, and soon was lost in its pages. It turned out to be far more interesting and much less academic then she had expected, and completely engrossed her for quite some time. It was with surprise that she looked up from it to find that the nearby lamp had almost burned through its oil. She also noticed that a cup of tea had been stealthily placed near her elbow, and that Twilight was no longer reading, but was resting her head on her hooves and watching Luna contemplatively.

"You know, you get this little wrinkle between your eyes when you're concentrating on something," Twilight said conversationally and with a hint of amusement.

Luna was flummoxed by the random comment for a moment, but she quickly and hotly replied, "I do not!"

Twilight smiled, her eyes twinkling in merriment. "Yes you do. And sometimes you stick your tongue out, just a little bit."

Luna flushed in embarrassment. Sometimes when she was focused on something, she did bite her tongue between her teeth, and possibly, on rare occasions, she had allowed it to protrude slightly. Hoping to hide her embarrassment from Twilight's malicious slander, Luna picked up the conveniently placed cup of tea and took a deep sip. As the warm tea coursed through her, Luna raised her eyebrow in surprise. Instead of the jolt of energy she had been expecting, the mellow tea filled her with a relaxing warmth.

"What's this?" She asked as she floated the cup back down to its saucer.

"Cammel-mill tea. It's a special kind of tea that helps you relax. Princess Celestia introduced me to it years ago when I stayed awake for three days straight studying for my advanced eldritch magic final."

The warmth left behind by the drink was heavy and soothing. Luna stifled a yawn as she asked, "What time is it?"

"Nearly one in the morning."

A bit early, but then she had woken up early. "Do you think it's too early to go to bed?"

"Not at all." Twilight raised her hoof to cover her own yawn. She glanced down at the books strewn across the table. "We can pick up where we left off tomorrow."

"Alright." The rigors of the day must have crept up on Luna while she had been occupied by reading. Her eyelids were becoming too heavy to keep open for any length of time. The two tired ponies stumbled up the stairs, Twilight extinguishing the lights as they went.

Luna carefully maneuvered around Spike's basket, trying to let the sleeping dragon lie, as she walked to Twilight's bed. With a sigh of relief, she slipped under the covers, turning to face the large window through which the starry night was on display. A few moments later and she felt the now familiar weight of Twilight settling into the narrow bed with her. With the other pony's comfortingly warm presence at her back, Luna quickly drifted off to sleep.

She was awakened from her dreamless slumber by an urgent pressure. Luna opened her eyes to find that several hours had passed and her moon hung low in the sky. The tingling pressure of Celestia's sun waiting to be raised roused Luna out of the bed. It was time for her to put the moon away in order to make room for the sun, but before she did, Luna wanted to admire the final minutes of night.

Outside Twilight's window the pale moonlight bathed Ponyville in a sea of black and grey. Shadows softened the contours of the buildings, and the streets were paved with molten silver. Despite the early hour it seemed that many of the residents of Ponyville were awake. Several of the buildings had lights in their windows, and from time to time Luna could see the dim figures of the early risers going through their morning rituals as they prepared for the day ahead. Far in the distance, the edge of the horizon was faintly discernable thanks to the light of the impatiently waiting sun.

Luna turned away from the window and contemplated the soundly sleeping mare she had left in the bed behind her. The moon's light fell across the bed, highlighting and accentuating the sinuously curving lines of the sleeping unicorn's body tangled in the sheets. During the night, Twilight had turned over in her sleep, allowing her peaceful, innocent face to be revealed in the waning moonlight. Her delicate eyelashes flickered as she dreamt the dreams of the innocent.

As she watched her friend sleep, in the darkest moments of the night, those just before dawn, Luna asked herself why. Why did she have to sacrifice her own happiness again? Why did she have to give up her friendship for the sake of Celestia's? Her sister had lived amongst their ponies for a thousand years without her. She had enjoyed the company of friends, students, and apprentices. She had never known the loneliness that Luna had felt, the isolation of being ignored by all of Equestria.

Surely Luna deserved one friend. A friend who would be there for her, no matter what happened. Celestia had a whole kingdom of ponies who almost literally worshipped her. Couldn't she spare a single pony, just one small unicorn, who would look toward Luna instead of her sister? Did she really need to tell Celestia how Twilight Sparkle felt? Did she need to bridge the gulf that was growing between her sister and her friend?

Abruptly, Luna recognized the burningly cold sensation that was pulsing through her. Its heady sting was both familiar and frightening. She was jealous. Of her sister. Again. A thousand years ago she'd been resentful of her sister's popularity with the ponies of Equestria. Now she was jealous of her sister's popularity with a single young mare.

Hot tears began to slip down Luna's face. It just wasn't fair. Why did everypony love her sister? Why did she love her sister? After everything she'd been through, the jealousy, the lies, the strife, the imprisonment, after everything, Luna still couldn't bring herself to hate her sister. Perhaps it was simply because Celestia was better than her.

No. She was just as good as Celestia, just as powerful. In fact, she was more powerful. Was she not the mistress of the moon and the stars? Was she not even at that moment denying the sun its place in the sky?

An all too familiar and tantalizing power coldly raced through Luna's frame. But at the moment that she merely had to reach out and reclaim her title as the Queen of the Night, Luna's eyes fell upon the unconscious, guileless face of Twilight. Did any of it matter? If she defeated her sister and proved that she was more powerful, that she was better, would that mean Twilight would like her any better? No. In fact, it would likely only push Twilight away.

With an almost physically painful sensation, accompanied by a magical howl of rage, Luna let go the power she had been drawing in, and let her hateful jealousy slip through her hooves. Despite the enormous power at her command, Luna couldn't force anypony to love her. She had tried it once, and had failed rather spectacularly. Her friendship might be based upon deception, but she wouldn't threaten what little she had by repeating the mistakes of a millennia ago.

With a heavy heart, Luna shooed her moon away and emptied the sky for Celestia's sun. It would doubtlessly burst impressively over the horizon, filling the world with warmth and light. But Luna didn't stay to watch it. Instead she settled back into the narrow bed that was permeated with Twilight's warmth. Unsure of what the next day would bring, Luna pressed her face into the pillow that was suffused with Twilight's scent, and in the grey dawn light, surrendered herself to what dreams may come.

She groggily awoke hours, perhaps days later, with a feeling that all was not right with the world. Her right wing and foreleg were numb in the uncomfortable way that indicated their circulation had been cut off. She could also feel the dried remnants of a line of drool running down her cheek, indicating that she had slept with her mouth open. Which meant she'd probably been snoring.

Blearily, Luna opened her eyes and was confronted by a wall of purple. She raised her hoof to wipe it out of her way, but found that somepony else's hoof was restricting her movements. Luna looked down, through a gap in the purple, and found that what was impeding her sight was part of Twilight's mane.

Somehow, sometime during the night, she and the unicorn had switched sides of the bed. Luna found herself lying on her back, on the side of the bed closest to the door. Twilight was laying half on top of her, with her head on Luna's chest and her body trapping Luna's leg and outstretched wing.

Just as she was coming to grips with the situation, Luna was startled by the door banging open and Spike loudly proclaiming, "Twilight, they were out of –" He stopped suddenly, and Luna regarded him with the one panicked eye she could turn in his direction without moving her head and disturbing Twilight.

"Uh, I'll, uh, come back later," Spike decided in a quieter tone. He hastily made his exit, swiftly but quietly closing the door behind him. The manner of his exit, as well as his expression, betrayed the fact that the dragon believed he had interrupted something he shouldn't have. Luna wondered to herself, was it strange for two friends to share a bed?

The thought, as well as any others she might have had, quickly fled as Twilight unintelligibly muttered something, then repositioned her head, burying her nose in the crook of Luna's neck. Feeling the other mare's warm breath on her sensitive skin, Luna pushed away all thoughts of propriety, or of the horrendous pins and needles she'd be feeling in her wing. Secure in her friend's hooves, she drifted back to sleep.

* * *

><p>AN: Special thanks to Dawning the Mask, FateSkyFire, and Lambotrist for editing this chapter and making it suck somewhat less.

I think this chapter gave me cancer. And carpel tunnel. And the urge to move to New Zealand and start an apple farm specializing in Honeycrisp apples in order to promote their year-round availability.

I also think maybe I should layoff the ponies for a bit. I've been having strange dreams of late. Strange dreams indeed. I believe my mind may be diseased.


	4. Part 2c

I do not own My Little Pony.

fanfiction

shipping

2011

ishygddt

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><p>The next time Luna awoke, it was to the sensation of her hair being tugged on. She tried to ignore the pull toward consciousness, safe and secure in a cocoon of warmth. However, just as she was settling back down into a deep sleep, the pulling sensation on her hair started again. Luna resignedly opened her eyes and found herself staring into a pair of lovely but panicked purple ones. Twilight's distraught face was mere inches away from hers, and their foreheads were nearly touching.<p>

"O-oh, you're awake. This isn't what it looks like," Twilight declared in a voice somewhat higher than normal.

"Um, good morning." Luna wasn't quite sure what was going on, and even less sure of what the appropriate thing to say was when you've woken up and your best friend is straddling you.

It was apparent from Twilight's distressed expression that she was feeling even more uncomfortable with the situation than Luna was. With their faces so close, Luna could easily feel the other pony's breath as she quickly explained, "Y-you see, last night my horn and your hair got tangled together somehow. I woke up this morning and we were sleeping really close together again, so I tried to get up without waking you, but my horn was caught in your hair. So I tried to untangle it, but then you woke up at the worst possible time" Twilight was babbling, no doubt because she was feeling embarrassed by being in such a compromising position.

"It's alright," Luna reassured her nervous bed partner. "I roll around a lot at night. That's probably how I ended up ensnared by your horn. I'm sure that with both of us working on it, we'll be able to quickly extricate ourselves."

Luna looked upwards to gauge the severity of the hair snag. Unfortunately it was just out of her visual range and all she managed to accomplish was to nearly cross her eyes while looking up. Twilight let out an amused snort and Luna refocused her eyes to look at her friend enquiringly. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Twilight said with an innocent lilt while studying something across the room with a rather amused expression.

Luna mentally shrugged and tried looking up again, slowly tilting her head. She ignored Twilight's stifled laugh and attempted to find the tangle. But it was of no use. Her view of Twilight's horn was blocked by her own, and the sensations from the two horns brushing against one another weren't helping her to concentrate.

"Perhaps if we both stood up and simply tried to pull away from one another, the issue will resolve itself," Luna proposed.

"Okay." Twilight shifted to the side to give Luna enough room to carefully maneuver to her knees. A task made difficult not only because of her caught hair, but also because her right foreleg and wing were numb from where Twilight had slept on them.

Luna ignored the tingling sensation that was running through her limbs as she and Twilight faced one another across the rumpled blankets of the bed. Twilight lowered her head slightly, and the two ponies began to pull away from one another. For several seconds it seemed that they were stuck fast, but with a sudden tearing sensation and a brief but sharp pain for Luna, she and Twilight flew apart.

Twilight crashed against the headboard loudly while Luna tumbled over the end of the bed and landed on Spike's basket. It flew up and into the air, flipping before landing upside down on her head. Her ungainly fall to the floor was more surprising then painful, so Luna was able to quickly recover and levitate the basket off her while she looked around to make sure that Twilight was alright.

The unicorn in question was gingerly rubbing the back of her head, but otherwise appeared unscathed. Wrapped tightly around her horn was a clump of long bluish hair, with several more strands lying on the rumpled bed sheet between the two ponies.

"Are you hurt?" Luna asked with concern.

"No, I think I'm okay." Twilight stopped rubbing her head and rolled off the bed. "I didn't think I was living in a hardwood though," she joked as she walked around the bed toward Luna. She looked up at Luna, about to say something, but the words died on her lips as Twilight fully saw Luna's hair for the first time that morning. Her mouth curled into an involuntary smile and she tried to smother another amused snort.

Seeing her reaction, Luna lifted a hoof to her hair fearfully and asked, "It's not that bad, is it?"

"It's worse actually," replied Twilight with a giggle permeating her voice. "What did you do last night to get it so messy?"

"Well, I have been known to move around in my sleep," Luna admitted. "But I don't recall being the pony to have their horn caught in somepony else's mane."

While Twilight was busy blushing at Luna's reminder, Luna picked herself off the floor and turned to the nearby mirror to gauge the damage to her mane. It was extremely disorganized. Strands were sticking out in several directions they normally wouldn't be, and it was obvious that it had been her bangs that Twilight's horn had been caught in, thanks to the snag and curling tangle that the exercise had left that section of her mane in.

"It is a bit …" Luna trailed off, at a loss for quite the right description.

"Frizzy," suggested Twilight, a playful smile bleeding through her tone.

"Yes, I suppose that sums it up best." Luna levitated the nearby brush close to her, and began attacking her tangled mane. A few minutes later and she asked, "Twilight is there some spell you know concerning hair management? My mane is being rather uncooperative."

"Sorry, Luna, but Trichology isn't one of the areas that I've studied extensively yet."

"Trichology?"

"The study of the mane, tail, and hair follicles in general," Twilight explained as she walked to a nearby cupboard and began to rummage around in it.

Luna paused in brushing her hair and looked askance at the lavender unicorn for a moment. "Is there a field of study for everything these days? As I remember it, the few specialists who were around a thousand years ago were primarily mathematicians."

Twilight replied in a thoughtful tone, her head still buried in the cupboard. "Hmm, well mathematics is still a popular field of study, but there are specialists in just about everything you can think of. Although I don't think anypony has delved too deeply into space exploration just yet. But speaking of specialists, Rarity loaned me a few sprays and gels that are designed to hold and shape hair. Maybe one of these will help with your mane." She stood up with a hoofful of jars and canisters hugged to her body.

After a rigorous round of brushing, combing, spraying, and rubbing pleasant smelling ointments into her hair, Luna's mane appeared close to normal. Although her bangs were slightly thinner and a bit shorter than they had been last night, and the end had been radically curled thanks to Twilight's impromptu curling iron horn technique.

As Twilight spent time in front of the mirror, fixing her own lightly disheveled mane, Luna ruffled her wings a few times, trying to shake out the last vestiges of the prickly feeling she still felt. But she knew that it would still be a while until her leg and wing felt completely normal. In addition she was feeling rather peckish. Thankfully, the smell of something delicious being made wafted up from the library below. "Now that we've gotten that all straightened out," Luna allowed herself a small smile at her pun, "perhaps it's time for breakfast."

"Definitely, we can't skip the most important meal of the day," Twilight agreed. She set down the brush and the two ponies made their way downstairs and into the kitchen. There they found Spike in the midst of making waffles.

"Good morning," he greeted them as he removed a waffle from the iron. He turned around and met Luna's eyes for the briefest of moments before he quickly turned away in awkward embarrassment. "Er, afternoon. Whatever time it is." He ladled batter into the waffle iron, then closed its hinged lid and breathed flame around it.

"Good morning, Spike," Twilight greeted her assistant. "It's surprising to see you up so early." As she spoke, she and Luna took seats at the kitchen table opposite each other.

"I'm not up early; you're just getting up late. In fact I think this week has been the first time I've gotten up before you in months, maybe even years."

Spike didn't appear too pleased with the new development, but Twilight seemed to ignore him as her magic surrounded the plate of waffles at his elbow and floated them over to the table.

"Sorry," Luna apologized to both her and the small dragon.

Twilight flew a pair of empty plates through the air and halted them just in front herself and Luna. At the same time she was sorting several of the waffles into two hovering stacks. She spared enough attention in Luna's direction to cluelessly ask, "What for?"

Luna's face betrayed her surprise at Twilight's not understanding of the simple matter. "For forcing you to keep such odd hours of course."

"Oh don't worry about it," Twilight replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof. The plates landed and the stacks of waffles that had been placed on them had their edges perfectly aligned. "I'm actually a night owl by nature. Back when I was studying in Canterlot I stayed up late most nights. In fact I even tried to get the school to reschedule their classes to late afternoon and early evening instead of beginning so early in the morning."

"You almost got them to do it too," Spike added as he retrieved another waffle from the iron and ladled more batter onto the hot griddle. "That two hour presentation of yours on all the good things about late classes, and how waking up early was bad for learning was awesome. If I were in charge of the school, I totally would have done what you told them." With another jet of flame, the final waffle was cooked, and Spike placed it with the rest of the short stack he had made. He set the iron out to cool then waddled over and sat at the table next to Twilight, still avoiding Luna's eyes.

"Yeah," Twilight said with a regretful sigh. She poured syrup over her waffles before setting the glass container in front of Luna. "I almost had the faculty and administration convinced to adopt my plan, until Princess Celestia put an end to it. 'A pony shouldn't force others to change simply to make her own life easier. Equestria doesn't revolve around a single pony.'" Twilight made air quotes with her hooves as she repeated her mentor's words.

Luna smiled, but was able to hold back her chuckle at Celestia's ironic statement. "Still, I'm sorry that I've upset your schedule to such an extent, Twilight. I promise that from now on I shall attempt to be a bit more respectful of the rhythm of your day." Luna's smile grew wider. "I promise to keep you up no later than two, two thirty."

Twilight laughed lightly at Luna's joke. "You promise?"

"To you, I will never be untrue."

"Heh, you sound a bit like Zecora saying it like that," commented Twilight as she finally began to eat her breakfast.

"Who?" Luna didn't remember Twilight mentioning a pony named Zecora in her letters. Although admittedly their correspondence was still fairly young.

"She's a friend of mine who lives in the Everfree Forest. Somehow everything she says rhymes. She knows so much about herbs, as well as almost everything in nature, it's amazing. I often consult her when I have a question about something that I don't understand, but isn't important enough to bother Princess Celestia with."

"I see," Luna said curtly. The burst of jealousy she felt was irrational she knew. But just how many friends did Twilight Sparkle have? How many claims on her attention and time were there? And who was this strange pony that Twilight spoke of with such respect? "Well I hope that now we're friends, you'll look to me on occasion when you need some advice. I may not be up-to-date on all aspects of modern life, but I do have an extensive knowledge of the mystical arts."

Twilight smiled eagerly at Luna's offer. "Of course I will, Luna. Although I'm sure that your time is just as valuable as Celestia's. I wouldn't want to bother you over every little thing."

"Please, Twilight, you could never be a bother to me."

Luna put aside her unaccountable irritability and bit into the perfectly prepared waffles in front of her. The remnants of her dark thoughts were wiped away by her surprise at how delicious they turned out to be. The breakfast treats were only lightly sweetened by a touch of syrup. They tasted of buckwheat and some other flavor Luna couldn't readily identify, but rendered them light and fluffy.

"This is wonderful, Spike," she exclaimed joyously.

The dragon in question puffed up pridefully at Luna's complement. "Well, I have been practicing my cooking for a few years now. Someone around here needs to know how to boil water. Besides, a dragon has to have a lot of talents, be a real 're-nay-saunce' man if he wants to impress a modern girl."

"Renaissance, Spike," Twilight absently corrected him.

"Yeah, that too." The young dragon finally met Luna's eyes again as he boasted. Although thanks to the red in his cheeks, it was plain to see that he felt uneasy with whatever he had thought he'd seen earlier. They shared an awkward moment of silence between them, Luna unsure of how to even start explaining the situation he had found her and Twilight in, or even if an explanation was necessary. It wasn't as if they had been doing anything wrong after all. It had just been two friends sharing a bed, admittedly rather closely, but it had been wholly innocent.

By mutual silent consent they turned their attention to their plates and silently continued breakfast. The meal passed quietly, and quickly, although Luna failed to finish her portion. She had been enjoying the meals in Ponyville perhaps a bit too much, and had resolved on cutting back. It would be insufferable to return to Canterlot and have her figure commented on by Celestia.

Noticing that both ponies had finished with their breakfast, Spike hopped down and began clearing the table without being asked. In fact, judging by Twilight's non-reaction, it was expected of him. Soon the sounds of Spike washing the few dishes they had used filled the room.

In the warm and sedate atmosphere, Twilight leaned forward onto the table and asked, "So, study buddy, did you learn anything about love last night?"

There was a wet crash as a soapy dish fell through Spike's claws into the sink. With a shocked expression he looked over his shoulder at Luna and Twilight, who were giving him questioning looks of concern.

"Are you alright, Spike?" Twilight asked.

"Heh, sorry," he said while picking up the undamaged plate and turning back to clean it. "You know how dishes can be."

Twilight seemed a bit off put by Spike's attitude, but she turned back to Luna without asking the dragon why he was acting a bit strangely. Her eager expression shook Luna out of her own embarrassed silence.

"Yes and no," Luna replied to her earlier question. "To be honest, what I read last night wasn't so much a treatise on the subject as it was a collection of poems about the emotion. While they were quite entertaining, and provided an interesting insight into the subject, they weren't the best source material to be hoped for. That being said, I'm not entirely certain just what it is about love that you're trying to learn."

Twilight frowned contemplatively and looked off into the distance in thought. "Everything I guess. I want to know what love is, how it works, why it is, when and where it comes from. It's easy to understand an emotion like fear or anger because whenever I feel them, it's easy to point out just where they begin and where they end. But with love it's different. It can creep up on you, slowly building overtime, or it can suddenly spring on you. In a way you never thought it could, over a few days or weeks." Twilight looked back at Luna with a blush. "And then to complicate things, there are different kinds of love; for family, for friends, for … lovers."

Luna thought deeply before she spoke. Although her experience with the emotion wasn't as extensive as she would have liked. Thus far the only ponies she had felt any truly deep feelings of affection for were Celestia and Twilight. Nonetheless, two heads were better than one, so she offered her opinion.

"I feel that love is such a subjective emotion, that it can't be explained in the detail that you seem to be looking for. At least not by anypony other than yourself. All the poets, the artists, the novelists in Equestria can expound on love all they'd like, but in the end, all their words, all their forms of expression fall short of the actual emotion. For each pony love is different, so the only pony who can fully define love is the pony who feels it. At least that's what I think."

Twilight mulled over Luna's words as the clink of dishes being washed continued in the background. Without meeting her eyes, Twilight quietly but insistently asked Luna, "Have you ever loved anypony?"

"Well, I love Celestia. But if you mean romantically, then I have to say that I'm not certain whether I have or haven't."

With a ruefully sad attempt at a chuckle, Twilight admitted, "I know what you mean."

"There, I'm all done with the kitchen," Spike loudly declared with no delicacy for the atmosphere that had settled between Luna and Twilight.

Luna looked up from her contemplation of Twilight's face, and examined the room. She had to admit that it was immaculately cleaned. Perhaps she should look into getting a dragon assistant.

Enjoying the warm and pleasant company, Luna was loath to get up from the table and truly start the day. Apparently Twilight in shared this sentiment since she roused herself enough to ask her assistant, "Spike, would you mind making us some tea? A cup or two would be wonderful now."

The dragon let out a put upon sigh and shot a sharp glance in Twilight's direction, but he replied, "Okay." And immediately retrieved the teapot and other utensils to brew the tea.

As he was bringing the water to a boil, the sound of the library's door opening and closing came to them, and a voice called out, "Twilight dear, are you in?" It took Luna a moment to place it as belonging to Twilight's friend Rarity. At the sound of the voice, Spike nearly vaporized the water in the pot with a great blast of flame, and took a moment to check his scales for blemishes.

"We're in the kitchen," Twilight called out, sitting up a bit straighter.

"I was passing by and was wondering if you were finished with my copy of …" Rarity's voice had grown louder as she had approached, and Luna turned in her seat to greet her friend's friend. Upon seeing Luna, Rarity trailed off for a moment before she loudly and jubilantly exclaimed, "Good afternoon, Princess Luna! Why, I thought it would be far too early for you to be awake. From my understanding you seem to be a dusk to dawn sort of pony."

"Good afternoon, Rarity. Usually I am," Luna admitted with a smile. "But I didn't feel right forcing Twilight to keep my hours, so I've been going to bed early this week." Luna shot a glance at Twilight's still somewhat sleep muddled state before she wryly added, "Although I'm afraid that I've had an adverse effect on Twilight's sleeping schedule."

"So I see," commented Rarity as she walked deeper into the kitchen, revealing that she was sporting a pair of fetching saddlebags. "But both of you must be careful. If a pony changes their sleeping habits too much, too quickly, it can have all sorts of icky side effects. Like a limp mane, bad skin, or even, ugh, baggy eyes," she said with a shiver.

Spike had placed steaming cups of tea in front of Luna and Twilight, and was fetching another cup for Rarity. Twilight had lifted her cup and was sipping from it while Rarity spoke, and she rolled her eyes at Luna, obviously not as concerned with the dire threat of baggy eyes as her friend was. She placed the cup back on its saucer and politely inquired, "Would you like to join us for breakfast, or lunch I guess, Rarity?"

"Yeah, these are my special Spike waffles," Spike eagerly declared as he placed a cup and saucer in front of Rarity with all the practiced grace of a professional server. "They're the best tasting waffles in all Equestria, as voted by the Canterlot Castle Newsletter. I can make you as many as you like."

"Oh thank you, Spike, but I've already eaten. A cup of tea is more than enough for me."

"Oh," Spike said disappointedly. He had sprung across the room ready to make more waffles, but trudged back to the table without the spring in his step that had been there before.

"Actually, I just dropped by because I was planning on taking tomorrow off, and I was wondering if you'd finished with my copy of –"

"Your book!" Twilight hastily and loudly interrupted Rarity. She leapt up from the table with an energy that surprised and confused Luna. "Yes I, um, finished it. I'll go get it. Right now." Clearly but unaccountably flustered, Twilight left the room, her hooves loudly and rapidly crossing the library.

Luna and Rarity shared a questioning and slightly concerned expression as they looked after the rapidly retreating lavender unicorn. Luna had to wonder just what kind of book it was that made Twilight so obviously uncomfortable to talk about it in her company. Spike however seemed unfazed by Twilight's behavior as he poured himself a small cup of tea. Apparently her excitability wasn't anything new to the young dragon.

Deciding that Twilight was likely going to be a few minutes at least, Rarity sat down at the table and daintily lifted the teacup before her with a pale azure magic much lighter in color than either Luna's or Twilight's.

"So, Princess Luna, how are you finding our little town thus far," she pleasantly asked after a few moments of companionable silence.

"Oh, it's quite lovely."

"Isn't it? It's quite a charming place really, but sadly it pales in comparison to a city like Canterlot or Manehatten, I'm sure. All the style, the sophistication, the glamour! It makes a pony feel so alive. Don't get me wrong, Ponyville has its charms, it's quite quaint. But for a pony to be anypony, I think that they need to spend some time in the city that never sleeps. Don't you agree?"

Luna took a deep sip before she replied, "I actually don't spend too much time following the latest fashion trends, so I'm a bit out of step with the culture of places like Manehatten."

Rarity seemed genuinely surprised by Luna's admission. "But why ever not, my dear princess? A pony with your poise, your grace, could be a trendsetter with only the barest of effort. Why if you set your mind to it, I'm sure that you'd be the princess not only of Equestria, but of the fashion world as well."

Not wanting to delve into the reasons why Luna purposely alienated herself from most other ponies, she attempted to divert the conversation. "You know, Rarity, you can just call me Luna. You don't have to call me princess."

"Of course, princess, of course," Rarity said distractedly, her mind obviously envisioning the great fashion based future that Luna had before her. Strangely though, the sting of her title only lightly pricked Luna when Rarity said it. Coming from the fashionable unicorn, princess didn't sound so much like a title, as a term of endearment.

Rarity abruptly turned to look more closely at Luna, her eyes full of fiery enthusiasm. "In fact, speaking of fashion, while you're in town, perhaps you'd be willing to assist me with a small design issue."

"Of course," easily replied Luna, eager to help any of Twilight's, and now her friends. "Although I hope it isn't anything requiring too much skill. As I've said, I don't have much experience with fashion."

"Oh, I'm sure that you'll do fine," declared Rarity with a wave of her hoof. "I'm in the middle of coming up with a new line of clothing for winter, and I sorely need a pony of your refined taste to give me their opinion on it. And it would be wonderful if you'd agree to let me take your measurements for a new dress I'm in the midst of designing. I'm thinking of calling it, 'Midnight Empress,' and I need some pony with your natural elegance, your grace, your …" she twirled her hoof around for a moment as she searched for the proper description. "Your je ne sais quoi. You simply exude a regal air, and that's precisely what I want this dress to do. The more I think on it, the more I simply must have you model for me and provide inspiration. Please say you'll do it, princess. For me? Please?"

Faced with such a forceful appeal, Luna readily agreed, "Certainly, I'll help you, Rarity."

"I'll help too," Spike chimed in. "Who knows when you'll need a mobile pincushion, or … something set on fire. I'm awesome at setting things on fire."

"Oh, thank you!" Rarity said exuberantly, dramatically lunging over and embracing Luna for a few moments. "Thank you both," she added as she settled back down and reached over to ruffle Spike's spines.

Luna was unsure whether it was simply the modern age, or perhaps it was just Ponyville, but ponies were much more … physical than she remembered. Both Applejack and now Rarity had embraced her, not to mention how close she and Twilight had become. As Luna was busy musing, Twilight returned. She quickly levitated a book into Rarity's saddlebag before Luna noticed she was even in the room.

"There you go, Rarity," she said with obvious relief.

"Thank you, Twilight darling. I've been looking forward to reading this all week. But enough about pleasure, let's get back to business. Although when talking about fashion it's impossible to separate the two. Princess Luna has been kind enough to agree to help me this afternoon, so I'm afraid that I'll be stealing her for a bit."

"Oh," replied Twilight, casting a confused gaze in Luna's direction. "But I assumed that we were going to be spending today studying some more …"

Luna, not wanting to disappoint her friend, quickly reassured her, "We can do both."

Rarity quickly spoke up as well. "Yes, of course you can. It's not as if I were planning on monopolizing all the princess' time today. You two will have ample opportunity to be cooped up together reading musty old books I assure you, darling. I just need the princess for a few short minutes so she can help me realize my vision!" Rarity said with a dramatic wave of her hoof.

"Well I suppose we could put off our studying for a while," Twilight said contemplatively.

"Just for a little while," Rarity quickly agreed. "And if it makes you feel any better, you are more than welcome to come along and help too. The more the merrier I say!"

Twilight seemed reenergized by Rarity's invitation and happily said, "Okay then. Let's just clean up the kitchen and we can go."

"Already on it," Spike called out from the sink. Luna looked down in surprise at the table the dragon had quickly and stealthily cleared. Apparently he was quite eager to go. In a matter of minutes the kitchen was once again spotless and the tea service had been put away. Spike hopped onto Twilight's back and then she and Luna followed Rarity out of the library.

As they walked through the bustling streets of Ponyville, Rarity called out greetings to several of the ponies they passed.

"Good afternoon, Buttercup, that saddle looks absolutely stunning on you. Hello, Medley, that taffeta finally came in so I'll be able to put the finishing touches on little Orange Blossom's dress. Daisy, so good to see you! I just received a new shipment of velvet just perfect for your coloration. Come by later and we can pick something out for you."

"You're quite the popular pony," Luna observed.

Rarity finished waving at a mare just beyond earshot and with a rather rakish smile in Luna's direction replied, "Well, last year during one of my near brushes with fame, I realized that I wasn't as well known in Ponyville as I thought I was. So I've been working on my 'social networking,' as it were. After all, how could I possibly become famous throughout Equestria if there are ponies right here in town who've never heard of me?"

Spike eagerly piped up, "You'll always be popular with me, Rarity."

"Why thank you, Spike. But while I appreciate your unflagging adoration, it will take more than a simple dragon to spread my name and designs far and near. Speaking of which, we've arrived."

They had come to a rather splendidly decorated building which wouldn't have seemed out of place in Canterlot. Rarity opened the door for them, causing a bell to tinkle inside the shop.

"Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique," Rarity announced as she led them inside. Spike leapt off Twilight and as they stepped further into the store, artificial lights sprang to life, revealing an interior decorated in a dizzying array of fabrics. Between the tubs and mirrors for mane care and makeup, the partially dressed ponyquins spread everywhere, and the heavy drapes separating the room and giving it a certain air of stylish mystery, Luna wasn't quite sure where she was supposed to be looking.

"This is quite an impressive shop, Rarity," she commented.

"Oh yes, well I do try. It's amazing what a little paint and a bit of sateen will do. But what I'd like your help with is up here."

Spike closed the boutique's door as Rarity preceded them up a staircase tucked behind a curtain Luna had missed during her initial assessment of the store. Soon she found herself in an open room, brightly lit by large windows. There were tables and ponyquins scattered about, as well as bolts of cloth and bobbins upon bobbins of thread. But they seemed to have been categorized more or less, and if there was any chaos in the room, it was organized.

As Rarity approached the largest of the tables, up from which sprouted an elegant sewing machine, Luna took the opportunity to browse through a selection of outfits hanging from a nearby rack. Familiar with the room, Twilight headed over to a small table upon which was an assortment of glossy magazines.

Luna would be the first pony to admit that she had no head for fashion. Even before her banishment to the moon other ponies were finding her taste in togas a bit dated. But Luna did know what she liked, and as she browsed through the many outfits on display, the word which kept coming back to her to describe them was gaudy.

She truly wanted to be able to compliment Rarity's designs, but it appeared that most of them had been made in white or a pastel color, and while the layouts of the outfits were by no means offensive, the myriad of jewels that had been sewn into them seemed to detract greatly from their overall appeal. The jewels sparkled prettily in the afternoon sunlight, and if there had been one or two, they would likely have made the outfits somewhat fetching. But there were simply too many precious and semi-precious stones crowding each suit and dress, attempting to outshine one another in a mass of conflicting colors. The outfits were far too busy in Luna's untrained opinion.

"How do you like my summer collection, princess?" Rarity called from across the room.

Luna let the clothes fall back against each other with a clink, and faced Rarity with a nervous smile. "They're very … colorful. Although perhaps not in quite the style I would have chosen."

"Oh no, of course not. Those are meant for the midmorning tea parties that are all the rage this season. They're supposed to capture and beautify the light of the sun, dazzling everypony with the delicate interplay between the ethereal sunlight and the earthly energy of the gemstones. Nopony would be caught dead wearing them after noon."

She bent back over the table, moving about several colored grease pencils heavily across a sheet of paper. "No. For you, I see something simple, but elegant. Not something that blinds with rays of sunlight, but is closer to a cool whisper of a late autumn breeze stealing through the room. A dress reminiscent of the shiver of night air, of the moon and stars made concrete. Something beautiful, something subtle, something simple, something, like this!"

Rarity pressed down hard enough with the pencils that Luna could hear their scribbling from across the room, then with a final flourish, she ripped the paper off the table and floated it over toward Luna. It was a fairly stark and quickly drawn sketch which nevertheless easily displayed Rarity's artistic talent. Its bold lines showed a figure obviously representing Luna clothed in a sable dress made up of sharply defined lines and colored in dark blue and deep purples. It was both subtle and deceptively complex. In lieu of a riot of gemstones, its dazzling brilliance was in the cut and interplay of the dress' lines. It was a dress that Luna would not only feel proud to wear; it was a dress she yearned to wear.

"It's lovely," she simply said.

"Wow, Rarity, that looks just as good, maybe even better, then our Gala dresses," commented Twilight who had joined Luna to appraise the sketch.

"Isn't it? It's only a very rough idea of course, but I think it's a step in the right direction, wouldn't you agree?"

Twilight turned her head to Luna and narrowly regarded the princess for a few long seconds, causing Luna to begin to blush under the scrutiny, before she declared, "I think you'd look lovely in it."

"I think so too," gushed Rarity. "In fact, Princess Luna, I demand that you let me make this dress for you. Oh, I can see it now. You sweeping down the stairs into the ballroom at Canterlot, floating along the brilliantly polished marble, causing everypony's head to turn in your direction asking, 'who is she?' for of course it will be a masquerade." Rarity mimicked her day dream by draping herself with a loose piece of cloth and bowing to Spike, who played along by offering his claw and bowing to her like a perfect little gentleman. "And the only clue they'll have will be your natural elegance and the Rarity original you'll be wearing. With the whole room whispering about how stunning you look, you'll find the stallion of your dreams standing there in awe of your fabulosity and you'll sweep him off his hooves for a night full of dancing and enchantment." Rarity lifted Spike with her magic, and the two began to twirl around the middle of the room.

Luna raised an eyebrow at the odd sight, and tried to speak up to correct a few of the white unicorn's fallacies. For one thing, there were no stairs leading into the main ballroom back in the palace.

"Actually –"

But Twilight put out a forestalling hoof in front of Luna. "Just let her go with it. She gets like this sometimes."

Rarity abruptly stopped twirling across the room and hastily dropped Spike, who continued to spin for a few seconds looking a bit dizzy. She rushed back over to Twilight and Luna and loudly said, "So therefore I must insist that you let me make this dress for you. I simply won't take no for an answer."

Faced with such an intense pony, Luna attempted to demure, "Well, I wouldn't want to impose …"

"It wouldn't be any imposition at all, dear. In fact it would be a greater imposition to not allow me to do this. All I ask is that you wear it with the natural pride and dignity that you'll certainly feel for it when it's completed."

Luna shot a quick glance to Twilight, whose casually interested expression was of little help. She turned back to Rarity and decided, "If you feel so strongly about it, then of course I'll wear your dress, Rarity."

Rarity let out an excited squeal and hopped up and down gleefully. "Oh I always knew that I'd be royalty someday, or at least design for them. Princess Celestia hasn't worn a dress since the fabulous designer Piscola nearly five hundred years ago. Just imagine me, little old Rarity, designer for the royal family. Oh, I'm so excited! Now you just stand right there and I'll take a few quick measurements, princess."

As Rarity raced around the room pulling various tapes, papers, and bolts of cloth off the shelves, Luna exchanged a slightly nervous glance with Twilight. Perhaps she'd inadvertently gotten over her head with the agreement she'd just made. "She certainly seems excited."

"That's our Rarity, she's always happiest when she's working on some monumental project, usually with an imminent deadline."

Recovered from his earlier ordeal, Spike spoke up, "Don't worry, Princess Luna, Rarity's the best designer in Equestria. Whatever she makes for you will look great."

Not very reassured by Spike's blind faith in the frantic unicorn, Luna had to admit that it was somewhat gratifying to see somepony who was so excited to be doing something for her. Although as Rarity rushed back toward her with several items floating beside her, Luna amended her thoughts to gratifying and a bit frightening as well.

In a matter of moments she found herself in the midst of a storm of cloth, paper, and measuring tapes. She gave a little yelp and a slight jump as one of the tape measures ran up her leg and into an unexpected spot.

"Nothing to worry about, dear, just getting your inseam," Rarity explained. The unicorn was engrossed with a floating sheet of paper upon which she was rapidly recording Luna's various measurements. Far too engaged to spare Luna anything but the briefest of glances.

Luna was somewhat awed by just how quickly Rarity was able to switch from being a pleasant socialite to laser focused designer. She looked over to Twilight to see if she had noticed the abrupt change, but found the lavender unicorn too busy being amused by Luna's discomfiture at Rarity's invasive measurement devices to notice much else.

Her amusement was short lived however. Without turning away from Luna, Rarity called out, "Twilight, would you be a dear and hold these for me?" She didn't wait for an answer before dropping an avalanche of cloth onto Twilight, literally driving the unicorn to the floor.

A few of the smaller cloths atop the pile floated off and toward Luna as Twilight shakily struggled to stand back up. Rarity held up a parade of fabric swatches next to Luna's eyes as a dark bluish violet cloth was wrapped around her withers.

"Hmm, glaucous, azure, navy, palatinate, no, royal? Spike dear, could you go and fetch my glasses from the other room? The good ones, not the ones with the old frames, you know the pair. Oh, and can you bring back a few more pins too? Thanks," Rarity less asked and more demanded distractedly.

Instead of protesting, Spike smartly saluted and cheerfully announced, "On it!"

More fabrics were draped over Luna and Rarity pinned them in some places, and marked other areas with a thick piece of chalk. Spike quickly returned with a pair of glasses carefully cradled in his claws and a multitude of pins stuck amongst his scales. Rarity used her magic to relieve him of both the glasses and the pins without as much as a thank you. But judging by his blissful expression, the dragon didn't seem to mind the somewhat harsh treatment. Perhaps being Twilight's assistant for so many years had acclimated him to the whims of bossy unicorns.

The next hour or so passed in a blur of cloth being thrown about the room, scissors cutting, chalk marking, and Rarity making comments such as, "Please keep still, princess, I need to pin this in my mind just right so that it doesn't ride too high." Or, "Yes, yes, yes! No! Oh how can I work under these conditions?" and "Oh yes, I am the mare! If I do say so myself." All the while she kept a rather unnervingly single-minded focus on Luna and the cloth around her that was slowly but surely forming into a rough approximation of the sketch Rarity had drawn earlier.

Luna had braved a few attempts at casual conversation, but Rarity's intense concentration had caused them to quickly fade into silence. She was apparently in the "zone," wherever that was, and refused to be disturbed. Compounding the problem, Luna was slightly frightened to breathe too hard and adversely affect the dress making process. Rarity was so focused, so tied up in creating the outfit, that Luna was certain that even minor distraction was sure to cause something untoward to happen.

As the amount of fabric on Luna had increased, the pile atop Twilight had decreased, and she'd returned to the small table she'd been at earlier. She appeared good naturedly bored, and had picked up a magazine to peruse. Its cover read, "Cosmoponytan, 19 ways to please your mare."

Spike was roaming around the room doing anything that Rarity asked of him through her brief bursts of orders that broke out suddenly from time to time. Though there were only a few times when she made use of the small dragon. It seemed like nearly everything Rarity needed was in the room, and everything in the room was within her magic's reach.

Finally though, Rarity gently lifted the patchwork of pinned together pieces of cloth off of Luna and softly set them down on a nearby ponyquin. "There, that should be a good starting point, I think. Though I'll probably tear it all to pieces and start again," commented the fashion designer pony.

Luna felt physically drained from simply standing there under Rarity's ministrations for so long, and had a nearly physical pang at Rarity's words. "You won't need me to come back and model for you again when you do, will you?" she anxiously asked.

"Oh no," Rarity said with a dismissive wave of her hoof as she began to float her materials back to their designated areas. "Now that I've got a … a feel for your build, I'll be able to do most of the work myself. I'll just need you for the final fitting. Although I have to ask, are you planning on wearing you mane that way with this dress?"

"Why? Does it look bad?" Luna asked anxiously. Perhaps she'd missed a spot earlier in the morning and had gone around all day with a cowlick or something equally embarrassing.

"Not at all. In fact I think it's quite elegant, especially with that wonderful little curl you've adopted. I do so enjoy finely coifed manes," Rarity replied with a toss of her head, causing her own tightly curled hair to bounce. "I was simply asking because someponies like to wear a different hairstyle when they wear formal attire. A change in the way you wear your mane changes the lines of the dress, which is something that I need to take into consideration.

"It would be a good excuse to try something different with your mane," Twilight said over the top of her magazine. "I think that you would look wonderful with your mane up."

Rarity looked over at Twilight and agreed, "Yes, formal occasions are excellent excuses for us to step out of the styles we normally wear. Which is why I wish you'd of allowed me to fix your hair a bit more for the Grand Galloping Gala."

"My mane looks fine just the way it is," Twilight protested, reaching up a hoof to protectively stroke it. "There's nothing wrong with it."

"Of course there isn't, dear, that simple, no-nonsense style just screams librarian. But perhaps it would be nice to experiment a bit with other styles from time to time."

Twilight angrily set down the magazine and stubbornly lifted her head high. "I'll have you know that Princess Celestia herself complimented my hairstyle."

Rarity chuckled and with a stage whispered to Luna said, "Yeah, when she was ten."

Luna could barely contain her laughter, it was probably true. But seeing the hurt on Twilight's face caused her to sober quite quickly. "You're right, Twilight, your mane does suit you. It's quite becoming, and gives you a classical sort of beauty which transcends trends."

Twilight began to appear a bit mollified, and Luna was prepared to say more to make her friend feel better, but Rarity took up the attempt to soothe the upset unicorn.

"Really, Twilight, we didn't mean to make you feel self-conscious about your mane. I, more than anypony perhaps, can appreciate finding that perfect style that just screams you, and keeping it because it's so fetching. However that doesn't mean that you should immediately dismiss all other manestyles out of hoof. I've always thought that your bangs were a bit on the short side, and I think you would look positively delightful with a chignon."

Twilight seemed calmer and less ready to combust in anger, and looked down a bit at the carpet as she only slightly resentfully replied, "Maybe. If Luna agrees to wear her hair up, then I'll think about doing it too."

Rarity turned to Luna with excitement making her eyes sparkle, and she was on the verge of saying something, but was interrupted by the sound of the door downstairs being thrown open, its tiny bell jingling with a frenzied energy. Moments later several hoofs were heard loudly pounding upon the stairs. Suddenly three small fillies burst into the room, and after scanning the inhabitants for a moment, their leader, an orange pegasus, cried out, "There she is." Pointing a hoof straight at the princess.

"Oh no, school must be out," Rarity said with a sigh and a defeated mutter.

The three fillies, one of whom Luna recognized as Applebloom, noisily stormed into the room and raced to Luna, peppering her with questions.

"Are you really a for real princess, like for real?"

"Why didn't you tell me you were a princess yesterday?"

"How'd you turn into a princess? Were you a unicorn or a pegasus first?"

Overwhelmed, Luna began to back up to give her a little space as she attempted to answer the questions as best as she was able. "Yes, I am a real princess, like my sister Celestia. I'm sorry, Applebloom, but I thought that you knew. I was born this way; I've always been an alicorn."

"Are you sure you're a princess? You don't have a crown or anything like that," observed the group's little unicorn who had narrowed her eyes as she closely examined Luna.

"Girls!" rarity called out hotly. "Leave Princess Luna alone. We were having an adult conversation, and you know it's rude to interrupt other ponies when they're talking. Now if you'd all please quiet down and stop bothering Princess Luna, I'm sure that we can discuss what it is you'd like after we're finished with what we were speaking of."

"Aw, but this is important, sis," complained the younger unicorn.

"Yeah," piped up the tiny pegasus. "We're here to get official royal cutie marks. If anypony can give us our cutie marks, it'd be a princess."

"I want a cool one like the rising sun or something," Applebloom said excitedly.

"I want one with stars and lighting, like a lightning storm in space. That'd be so cool," the pegasus declared.

"I want one that's a bunch of emeralds."

Her two friends looked over at the unicorn with flat expressions.

"Emeralds?" Applebloom asked, "Sweetie Belle, what are you thinking?"

"What? Emeralds are pretty, and you know, regal"

"You mean royalily. Regal isn't a word."

"It is so!"

"Girls," Twilight broke in. "I've already told you that magic can't make cutie marks appear before their time. They'll come when they're ready, when you've found that one special thing that you love to do."

"No offense, Twilight," The orange pegasus said. "But your magic might not be enough to give us cutie marks, but a princess is powerful enough to do whatever she wants. I bet she can give ponies really cool cutie marks nopony's ever seen before."

Twilight's distress at the rebuff was easy to see, and it wounded Luna, but still these were simple fillies, they probably didn't know better. "I'm sorry girls, but Twilight's right. Even though I'm a princess, not even I can give you your cutie marks before you're supposed to get them. Nor should I. A cutie mark is something special to everypony. It's a symbol of what they enjoy, what they're good at, what makes them special and unique. If a cutie mark could be given, or taken, that would cheapen your special talents. Or worse, cause you to try and live up to a cutie mark that you don't like. You just have to be patient and figure out what it is that makes you happy and what you're good at. Even I had to wait for what seemed like forever to receive mine."

Applebloom and the little white unicorn, Sweetie Belle, seemed to be hanging on Luna's words, but the small pegasus seemed doubtful.

Before she could continue her assault on the princess though, Rarity spoke up. "Girls, if you leave Princess Luna alone, I'll let you help me make a few dresses for an upcoming order. How does that sound?" she offered.

Applebloom turned to Sweetie Belle and excitedly said, "Maybe we can get a fashionista cutie mark!"

Together the three fillies shouted quite loudly, "Cutie Mark Crusader fashion designers yay!"

Their attention successfully diverted, the three excited fillies began racing around the room knocking over and unrolling bolts of cloth, unwinding spools of thread, and somehow getting a long piece of ribbon wound through the inner workings of the sewing machine. Rarity simply stood still staring at the destruction which was being wreaked upon her shop, her eye involuntarily twitching.

Luna's heart went out to the obviously shocked unicorn, and though she was unsure of how to help, she was more than willing to offer her services. However she was intercepted by Twilight.

"Well, it looks like you have you hooves full," the lavender unicorn observed. "We'll just see ourselves out, Rarity." She began pushing Luna toward the stairs, herding her out of the store.

Rarity's only reply was a pained groan as the three young ponies knocked over a ponyquin which caused a chain reaction somehow resulting in the curtains of the window being pulled down with a long and loud rip.

"You coming, Spike?" Twilight called over her shoulder as she continued to push Luna out of the room.

"Nah, I'm going to stick around here for a while, just in case Rarity needs something."

"Suit yourself Romeo."

As they left the shop, Luna could clearly hear Rarity finally finding her voice. "Sweetie Belle, what have I told you about touching my things? Scootaloo, put down those scissors this instant and … good heavens, what have you done?"

Luna shot Twilight a concerned glance, but Twilight just smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure that she'll be able to handle them." Quite honestly, Luna was a bit glad that Twilight had gotten them out of that chaos. She was still feeling positively drained from modeling for Rarity, and didn't think she had the energy to keep up with three exuberant fillies.

The two ponies walked down the street leading from Carousel Boutique, turned a corner, and found themselves in the midst of a still busy Ponyville market. The bright afternoon sunlight rained down upon the many stalls and shops lining the market, causing them and the ponies gathered about them to appear vibrant and full of life. Few of the ponies took special notice of Luna, and the ones who did merely smiled or waved in her direction. Luna warmly returned their greetings, and in a happy excitement perused the many carts and stalls of the market, her earlier fatigue quickly dropping away.

But, as she was browsing through rows of artfully crafted pony dolls on display atop a small cart, Luna noticed that Twilight was watching her closely, and her expression had transformed from cheerful gaiety to a thoughtful frown.

"What's the matter, Twilight?" Luna lightly asked, her voice easily betraying just how great she was feeling spending time window shopping with her friend. "You're not still upset over what Rarity and I said about your mane are you? We didn't really mean it. You're beautiful the way you are, and I'm sure your hair would be lovely no matter how you wore it."

"No, it's not about that," Twilight quickly replied. Although she did reach up a hoof and tucked a bit of her bangs behind her ear. When they fell back to their normal place a moment later, Twilight didn't seem to notice. "I was just thinking about things."

"Oh, like what?"

"You. And me." She said unguardedly. But upon realizing just what she'd said, Twilight hastily explained, "You're just so happy right now, smiling and making jokes, even laughing a little. I want to see you like that more often. But most of this visit it seems like you've had something on your mind, something that makes you frown and sigh."

Knowing exactly what Twilight was alluding to, Luna's face fell and Twilight quickly spoke up.

"There, you see, you're thinking about whatever it is right now." She softly sighed, then moved closer to Luna and laid a comforting hoof on her friend's shoulder. "Luna, I know that there's probably a lot on your mind. Things you're not comfortable talking about. But I don't like seeing you like this. I want to see you enjoying yourself. I know what it's like to be so lost in your own thoughts that they begin to eat away at you. But no matter what it is that's weighing on your mind, just know that I'm always here for you. You can tell me anything and maybe if you shared your burden, it will feel lighter and you'll feel better."

Luna gazed into Twilight's trusting eyes, and could feel the cold knife of guilt turning inside her. How could she ever tell Twilight what was bothering her without driving the unicorn away in anger, hatred, and disgust?

She shrugged off her friend's hoof and offered her a wan smile. "Thank you, Twilight. You really are the best friend a pony could ask for. I'm sorry that my troubles have been so transparent, and I appreciate your offer to share them. But I'm afraid that it's best that I carry them alone for a little while longer. I promise that I'll share them with you, but please let me be the judge of when I do so."

Twilight broke eye contact and looked down at the ground as she replied, "Oh, of course, Luna. I didn't mean to press you on something you didn't feel comfortable talking about. Please, take all the time that you need. I'll be here whenever you feel ready."

Luna smiled a small, real smile at Twilight's generosity. "Anyway, let's make the most of the time left to us. I promise to keep my sighs away and my thoughts happy for the rest of our time together."

Twilight smiled in reply and decided to play along with Luna's attempt at lightening the mood. "Then let's grab something to eat and head back to the library so that we can get some studying done, study buddy."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea."

The two mares continued on through the market, their delicate happiness quickly transforming into real joy as they delighted in the sights and sounds of Ponyville on such a charming day and in such charming company.

As they were approaching the town's library, and the market's stalls were beginning to thin out, they came across Applejack who was in the midst of folding up an apple themed cart.

"Good afternoon, Applejack," Luna hailed her.

"Howdy, Luna, Twilight."

"Are you already done for the day?" Twilight inquired.

"Yep, just about sold my entire stock and Applebloom should be here any minute to help me pack up and head on back to the farm."

"Actually, we just left Applebloom and her friends over at Rarity's store, and the seemed a bit preoccupied."

Applejack tilted her hat up contemplatively. "All three of 'em at Rarity's huh? Ah guess ah'd better head over there and give her a hoof. Those three can be a bit rambunctious, and Rarity's not the most patient of ponies."

"Before you go," Luna spoke up, "are you certain that you sold out of everything? Twilight and I were looking for something nourishing before we returned to the library and it would be delightful to sample your baked goods again."

"Well shoot, ah can't let two ponies go hungry. 'Specially when they're my friends." Applejack kicked the side of her cart and a latched lid popped open revealing a pair of apple pies. "There we go two pies for two hungry ponies. Now if y'all'll excuse me, ah'd better get over to Rarity's before those fillies tear the place down, or Rarity blows a fuse."

Luna and Twilight each levitated a pie toward them, and Twilight called out after the retreating orange earth pony, "But we haven't paid for the pies yet."

Applejack didn't stop, but replied over her shoulder, "Ah'll just put 'em on your tab."

Twilight turned to Luna and guilelessly asked, "I have a tab?"

Luna chuckled at Twilight's befuddled expression. "I suppose so. Now let's get these home and get back to studying." It was only minutes later, as they were approaching the tree house, that Luna realized she'd called it home. And what's more she had meant it. Unsure of how exactly that made her feel, but fairly sure it was mostly good; Luna eagerly stepped into the library, confident that she would enjoy her fragile happiness with Twilight for as long as possible.

* * *

><p>Amare et sapere vix deo conceditur<p>

* * *

><p>Celestia hid her disinterest behind a mask of pleasant inquiry that she had perfected over the centuries. Even if she had felt more upbeat and less troubled, she likely would have been soundly bored by the final audience of the day.<p>

"… So, as you can see from my ninety-eight point briefing, it's my conclusion that the previously unregulated apple market should have a price floor put into place. Currently the near monopoly the Apple family has on the supply of apples allows them to flood the market with low cost fruit, which creates an environment toxic to competition."

Celestia smiled patiently and wisely down at the young pegasus supplicant. She'd labeled that particular smile number 17 a few centuries earlier, and it was her go to expression when dealing with ponies who'd strayed a bit too far into the absurd. "You present a very convincing argument. Although I must ask, do you truly believe that it's the cost difference alone which prevents farmers from growing produce in the clouds?"

The sandy coated pegasus appeared stunned at his princess' question. "What else could it be? The current apple market is geared toward apples produced terrestrially. We need to radically alter our current system in order to promote alternative apple sources. Some ponies believe we can accomplish this simply through subsidies for the cloud farmers, but I believe increasing the price of apples to the point that aero-grown fruit is comparably priced is the best course of action."

It was almost physically painful to Celestia to hold in her sigh and to keep herself from simply asking the well educated and well intentioned foal to leave. Instead she attempted a different tact. "And how many apple trees are there currently growing in these 'aero-environments?'"

"Well, none so far," the pegasus admitted. "But once other ponies see that the market is ready for alternative apples, investors will be lining up, and we'll be able to establish our first fully cloud based farm. After all, who could pass up an opportunity based on such a simple yet effective premise? Why wait for the rain to water your trees, when they'll have all the water they need already in the clouds they're growing in?"

Celestia could feel her smile slipping and a slight headache beginning, as she politely answered, "Yes. Well, thank you for bringing this issue to my attention, and I assure you that it will be given all the attention that it merits. Feel free to leave any supporting materials you'd like with the steward on your way out."

Seemingly confident in how well his application went, the young stallion bowed deeply to Celestia before he jauntily exited the throne room, his head held high.

Celestia allowed herself a small sigh through the nose, quiet enough to not reach the guards at the foot of her throne. She loved her subjects, truly she did. But sometimes, on occasion, their petty and somewhat shortsighted concerns grew tiresome.

"I believe that was the last of the petitioners scheduled for today," Celestia half asked, half stated to the attendant hovering just past the guards.

The courtier hastily checked a sheaf of papers on the small table near her before answering, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Excellent. Then, if there's nothing else…" Celestia paused, but nopony spoke up. "We're done for the day. Have a wonderful evening everypony, and I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow."

Normally Celestia would wait for the throne room to empty before making her own exit. But she just didn't feel like sitting up on the throne any longer then she absolutely had to that day. In a matter of moments she gracefully descended the daises and swept out of the room through the royal entrance leading to the private areas of the palace.

She passed several courtiers and guards who respectfully bowed to her, and she smiled and nodded her acknowledgement of their existence. Celestia was able to keep the smile on her face until she reached her private study, where it slipped away in the security of solitude. She paused only briefly in the anteroom before continuing on to her personal office, firmly shutting the door behind her.

Safe in her sanctum, Celestia settled down behind her large desk, whose top was covered by a slew of reports and petitions awaiting her perusal. Finally she allowed herself to wearily sigh. She leaned heavily over the desk and looked toward the only corner kept carefully clear. It was occupied by a small horn painting that Twilight had made years ago when she had been learning how to control her magic with some semblance of finesse. It was a simple picture really, stylized and brightly colored representations of Twilight and Celestia standing close together on a green hill with a childishly yellow sun high in the sky above them. Twilight had been so proud when she'd shown it to Celestia, and had been speechless with happiness when Celestia had asked to keep it.

The picture's frame was a silvery wood, well aged, and around which was wrapped a grey silk ribbon. It had belonged to Luna a millennium ago, though Celestia could only remember her sister having worn it once. She had found it stuck in-between the cushions of their old throne months after Nightmare Moon's banishment, and had kept it ever since, as a reminder of the little sister she had failed.

Celestia pushed aside a report emblazoned with an impressively noble seal and rested her head in her hooves, massaging her temples. In truth, she didn't know why she was so sad, but it wearied her. It was troubling not only that she didn't know how she'd come by it, but that it revealed how much she had yet to learn of herself.

She turned her head to look out the nearby window. It was late afternoon, with perhaps an hour left until her sun was scheduled to set. Its low position in the sky flooded the room with its rays, the windows creating columns of shadow and light stretching the breadth of the room.

Usually at this time of afternoon, Celestia would visit her school for gifted unicorns, but that day she simply didn't feel like it. Normally, she would sit in on some of the last classes of the day, observing both the students, as well as the instructors, to make sure that they were following the lessons which would allow them to tap into their true potential. She had established the school in order to have a facility to train and mold the most powerful unicorns in Equestria, so that they would be able to learn to live with their gifts rather than be controlled by them.

At first it had been a wonderful and engaging project. Each new day bringing fresh and interesting challenges. It had been about experimentation and learning from mistakes, of forging an institution the likes of which Equestria had never seen.

However, as the centuries passed, the vivacity and excitement of those nascent years slowed and transformed into a rigid curriculum where ponies learned by rote more often than by experimentation. Not that such a turn of events was necessarily bad. An ambitious pony with a curiosity unbridled by morals was a very dangerous thing. Thankfully though the Rainbow of Darkness had been defeated and buried in the sands of time.

Over the years the school had become an institution, and the institution had become prestigious. For the last few hundred years, her school had come to be regarded as little more than a finishing school for the older unicorn families. Most of the students attended not so much to refine their own abilities, but rather to make their parents proud, and to have an educational resume that would allow them into the coveted administrative roles in Canterlot.

It was only once in a very long while that a student attended her school who caught her attention. Even more seldom did that unicorn show enough promise to merit becoming her personal student. That was why it had been so wonderful to teach and nurture Twilight Sparkle, slowly molding her into the mare she had become.

Celestia unconsciously smiled warmly as her thoughts turned to her protégé. She could still clearly remember the awesome display of power that had attracted her attention to the young filly, as well as Twilight's energetic celebration of her acceptance and her cutie mark which had followed. It hadn't been long after that when Celestia had begun to learn just how special Twilight really was.

It was rare to find a pony who was so intelligent, determined, curious, innocent, and passionate, not to mention powerful. Celestia had quickly come to care for the young pony, and had looked forward to their lessons together. She had always been somewhat surprised and impressed with just how quickly the unicorn learned and progressed through her studies, always thirsty for the next bit of knowledge, the next piece to the puzzle that was life.

Sadly, when Twilight had left for Ponyville, she had taken away the shining star of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. The other students were capable and nice unicorns, but they weren't her Twilight. Even the most promising student, Bay Breeze, lacked that certain something that nopony, save Twilight, had possessed in what seemed like centuries.

With her head still lightly resting on her propped up hooves, and staring out the windows at the reflection of the sun off the roofs and spires of Canterlot, Celestia frowned slightly. She had just been discussing Bay Breeze with somepony, and a nagging part of her brain was telling her that the conversation had been important. But who had it been? There were so many ponies that she spoke with each day, that sometimes it was difficult to remember … Luna. It came to her in a flash. It had been with Luna.

But what could be important about a conversation she'd had with her sister about one of the many students who attend her school? As far as Celestia could recall, Luna had made the mistake of believing that Bay Breeze was her new personal student, but Celestia had quickly corrected her.

Celestia sat up straighter, a thoughtful and questioning light coming to her eyes. How did Luna know about Bay Breeze, and how had she come to the conclusion that she was Celestia's new star pupil? Luna had never shown anything more than a casual interest in Celestia's school, at least to her knowledge.

With a flick of her magic, Celestia rang the bells magically connected throughout the palace. Before the last quiet chime tinkled away into silence, there was a polite knock on her office's door. "You may enter," she called out loudly enough to carry through the thick wood.

By the time the fuchsia earth pony had opened the door; Celestia had straightened her posture and cloaked herself in the regal air of a princess. The attendant bowed low to the ground and respectfully observed, "You rang, Your Majesty?"

"Yes. Please inform my sister's steward that I would like to speak with her," Celestia ordered in her 'I'm not angry, but please do what I tell you as quickly as possible' voice.

"Right away, Princess Celestia!"

Celestia would have felt bad for intimidating the poor pony, but her mind was racing too fast with other concerns. If there was anypony who knew the habits and interests of her sister, it would be the pony who had been firmly asked to be as close to Luna as possible. It had been Celestia's idea that if Luna where never alone, she couldn't be lonely again, and the past wouldn't be repeated. So Gimlet Lime should be able to shed some light on the mystery that was eating at Celestia.

Almost before the door closed after the retreating earth pony, it was rapped upon sharply. There was only one pony who used such a heavy hoof on Celestia's door.

"Come in, Captain Blazer."

The captain of her guard entered with a clipboard tucked under his wing. He saluted her smartly before picking up the clipboard with his mouth and placing it on her already cluttered desk.

"I've brought the list of this year's graduates from the Equestrian Military Academy, Your Majesty."

Thoughts about her sister were foremost in her mind, but Celestia feigned interest as she politely asked, "And how are this year's recruits?"

Blue Blazer huffed in annoyance. "As usual, the Wonderbolts stole the best pegasi candidates, while the unicorn and earth ponies were picked over by the Special Forces. But still, you won't find a braver, more loyal bunch of ponies in all Equestria," he finished with pride.

"I'm sure they are." They always had been; every year since the military academy had been established seven hundred years earlier. However, Blue Blazer's appearance afforded Celestia with another possible source of information on her sister. Albeit one she wished she didn't have to use. "So, Captain, how has Princess Luna been these past few days?"

The scarred pegasus had the decency to look not only surprised but clueless as well. "I-I'm not sure what you mean, Your Majesty."

"I'm simply asking about how my sister is doing. Surely your spies have reported back by now. I'd think that you'd want to be kept abreast of her actions as quickly as possible."

Blue Blazer laughed nervously before he hastily replied, "But, Your Majesty, you expressly disapproved the decision to continue surveillance on Princes Luna with Royal Guard ponies while she was in Ponyville."

Celestia smiled a bit condescendingly. "Yes, I did. Which is why you used ponies from other parts of the government instead, I believe."

His attempt at ignorance exposed, Blue Blazer decided to attempt to explain himself. "Your Majesty, I assure you that I only have your interests in mind. I did set a watch upon your sister, but only because I feared she is engaged in a plot against you."

Celestia arched an enquiring eyebrow. "And what subversive acts has she been engaging in?"

Blue Blazer appeared rather uncomfortable as he replied, "Well, none. So far. At least from what my observers can tell." He met Celestia's eyes with renewed energy as he added, "But she has been acting in a manner unfitting for a princess! Maybe she's attempting to discredit the royal house of Equestria!"

"I believe Prince Blueblood beat her to that plan by about ten years or so," A small smile of amused disbelief appeared on Celestia's face as she humored the captain. "And how is my sister going about discrediting the noble monarchy?"

"For one thing, she was openly intoxicated in public," replied the captain hotly.

Celestia had to fight to keep her face relatively stoic. But the mental image of Luna being drunk made her want to laugh out loud. She supposed that Luna technically was over the physical legal drinking age, if not the emotional. She could easily picture her sister intoxicated, and it was very cute. She made a mental note to come up with an excuse to celebrate something in the near future that would be an appropriate occasion to combine Luna and alcohol.

Sadly, Celestia's thoughts had to return to less pleasant matters as Blue Blazer continued, "She's also attempted to connect with the more … common ponies by going so far as to engage in physical labor unbefitting a pony of her station."

That was something Celestia wished she could have seen. Her sister was by no means lazy, but at the same time Luna was one of the most powerful magical creatures in all Equestria. Celestia had never seen her do anything more physically straining then fly for a few hours without rest. For her to do manual labor, she must have had an important reason. Perhaps there was some truth to what Blue Blazer was saying. Perhaps Luna was trying to engage with other ponies. Although not necessarily for the reason the pegasus had suggested, but rather perhaps because Luna wanted to make friends.

With a sigh, Celestia stated, "Captain Blazer, if that's the extent of my sister's crimes against Equestria, I feel confident that my reign will last another day or two."

Blue Blazer flapped his wings in a burst of frustration as he replied, "You Majesty, she's not –"

However, he was interrupted by his monarch. "She's not the pony you think she is, Captain. I'm disappointed that you can't seem to trust her, and even more disappointed that you went so far as to attempt to countermand my decision in secret …" There was much more that Celestia wished to say, but they were interrupted by a hesitant knock. "Come in," Celestia loudly called out, her eyes informing Blue Blazer that their conversation wasn't over.

A tan unicorn with puffy eyes and a hastily brushed mane entered and dropped into a low bow. "You sent for me, Your Highness?"

Celestia smiled warmly, attempting to put the young unicorn at ease. "Ah yes, Gimlet Lime. Thank you for coming so quickly. I had a question that I wished to ask my sister, but since she isn't here, I was hoping that you could answer it for me in her stead."

"Of course. If I can," quickly replied Gimlet, eager to help.

"Recently my sister asked after one of the students of the School for Gifted Unicorns. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I was wondering if she'd spoken to you about her interest in the school at all. I think it would be wonderful if she felt willing to perhaps help teach there." It wasn't technically a lie, Celestia would love it if Luna took a more active role around Canterlot, and she believed her sister would benefit a lot from being exposed to the youth of the nation.

Gimlet scrunched up her face in thought. "No," she said with a hint of confusion. "I don't think that the subject's ever come up before."

"Oh, I see," Celestia said with a slight disappointment that was only partially feigned. "Do you think perhaps she spoke about it with somepony else, one of the guards perhaps?"

Gimlet cast a disapproving glance in Blue Blazer's direction, which he answered with his normal friendly scowl, before she answered. "I don't think so. I've been following your 'suggestion' and I've spent nearly every minute of the night with Princess Luna. She's never spoken to me about the School for Gifted Unicorns, much less anything about a particular student. Besides which, Princess Luna is a bit withdrawn, and it's hard for her to build a repartee with the guards since the ones assigned to her are changed so frequently."

Blue Blazer gruffly interrupted to defend himself, "I have to constantly change the guard roster assigned to Princess Luna because after a few nights of her 'woe is me' routine, they start getting soft and feeling sympathy for her. I don't need any of my colts with divided loyalties the next time the princess has a temper tantrum and tries to destroy Equestria."

Gimlet Lime was obviously shocked, and stared at the captain of the guard for a moment incredulously before she hotly replied, "Well perhaps Princess Luna would be happier and less moody if somepony wasn't trying to turn her palace into a prison, and all of us into her jailors."

Blue Blazer was about to retort when Celestia gently interrupted, "My little ponies, please stop arguing. I'm sure that we all want what's best for Princess Luna." Blue Blazer rolled his eyes and sulked. Celestia had much to say to him about his attitude toward her sister. But it would be unprofessional to dress him down in front of Gimlet Lime. She turned to her sister's steward and asked, "So, are you certain that you're with Luna all the time when she's not resting?"

"Yes. Well, mostly. Princess Luna prefers to be by herself when she goes to the library. She says my 'hovering' disturbs her reading."

The mention of the library caused several nebulous thoughts in the back of Celestia's mind to begin to coalesce. There was another pony close to her heart who was fond of the library. Who had been with Luna shortly after having mentioned her planned trip to visit her friends the books.

"Tell me, Gimlet Lime, when was the last time that Luna visited the library?"

Gimlet uncertainly answered, "About two weeks ago, I think."

"It was the day Twilight Sparkle came to visit the palace," Blue Blazer said with certainty. "Princess Luna was escorted to the library by my stallions. Half an hour later, Miss Sparkle entered the library. The guards on duty noted that she seemed upset. Two hours later and they escorted both Princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle from the library to the private area of the palace."

Gimlet Lime appeared scandalized by Blue Blazer's statement. Whether because he seemed to have an encyclopedic knowledge of Luna's movements or because he had kept a better track of Luna then she had, Celestia was unsure. It didn't matter to her though. Celestia had discovered the information she had wanted. The pony who had told Luna about Bay Breeze had obviously been Twilight Sparkle.

"Thank you, Gimlet Lime," Celestia said pleasantly. "You've answered my questions very well. I'm afraid that I disturbed your rest. I know that many of my sister's attendants are still asleep this time of day. Feel free to go back to bed."

Luna's steward appeared as confused at her obvious and abrupt dismissal as she had been at her abrupt summons. "Thank you, Princess Celestia. I'm glad I was able to be of service." She dropped into another low bow as she spoke. When she stood, she shot a final contemptuous glance at Blue Blazer before silently leaving Celestia's office.

Blue Blazer waited a few moments after the door had closed behind Gimlet Lime, to make sure that the other pony was safely away, before he turned back to Celestia. "If that's all, Your Highness…"

Celestia's mind was nagging her that there was something important in the information she'd just heard, and she'd long ago learned to heed her gut feelings. She desperately wished to be alone so she could turn her full attention to the situation between her, Luna, and Twilight.

But first things first. She looked down at Blue Blazer with a neutral, yet stern expression. It was a look that had cowed dragons and wyverns in the past. The few ponies who had earned it either had cowered in fright, begged for her forgiveness, or in rare cases, had begun to cry. Blue Blazer did none of these. Instead he looked up at her, his face impassive, though there was a slight tremor in his wings and rear legs.

"Captain Blazer, how long have you been a member of the Royal Guard?"

"Forty years, Your Highness. Twelve as captain," he answered immediately and proudly.

"I see. That's quite an impressive record," Celestia mused. "Your predecessor, Captain Blenheim, was in the guard for only thirty years before he retired. Perhaps it's time that you considered retirement yourself."

Shock and dismay played out over Blue Blazer's face as he sputtered out, "Y-your Majesty?"

Celestia placed her elbows on her desk and contemplated Blue Blazer over her crossed hooves. "You see, Captain, I fear that you've been in the service for too long. I think that you've become blinded by your devotion to your duty. While in most cases that is commendable, I have made it clear on multiple occasions that my sister is not to be judged on her past actions, but is to be treated as my equal. In fact I've had several conversations about that subject with you specifically. Yet despite this, you seem to have not only regarded Princess Luna with continued suspicion, but you've deliberately created a hostile environment for her in the palace. A place which she should think of as her home, her sanctuary. In addition you've circumvented my direct orders about keeping watch on her."

"But, Your Majesty, Princess Celestia, I only thought of your well being," explained a panicky Blue Blazer. "Princess Luna tried to destroy Equestria once. She tried to usurp your place, what makes you think that she won't try again?"

"I trust her. She's learned from the mistakes of the past. We both have. And neither of us will let them happen again I assure you." Celestia sighed and looked down at Twilight's picture and Luna's ribbon for strength before she turned again to Blazer.

"Captain, the main reason I feel that it's time for you to retire is because of the length of your service. As the saying goes, 'familiarity breeds contempt.' By disobeying me, by continuing your vendetta against my sister, no matter how well intentioned, you've put your own ideas and opinions above mine. A good royal guard pony must always remember that I am your princess and my orders are final. While I welcome feedback and differing points of view from all of my subjects, I need to know that when I give an order, it's followed. When I tell a pony to forgive my sister and to treat her as a princess, equal in power to me, I expect them to forgive her and treat her as they would treat me. I do not want them to suspect her of treason, and I certainly don't want them to spread that point of view to the rest of the guards. Especially after I've made myself clear on the point on multiple occasions. Do you understand?"

Blue Blazer was sullen as he replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"You're a good guard pony, and a great captain. One of the best I've ever had. But I simply can't allow anypony in such an influential position to question the legitimacy of Princess Luna's reform and current status as co-regent of Equestria." Celestia paused as she saw how bent and pained Blue Blazer had become. As if she had just robbed him of his most important possession, but he couldn't get angry about it. "Cheer up, Blue Blazer, most ponies look forward to retirement. Just think, you'll be able to take up hobbies, travel the world, see, smell, and taste things few other ponies ever have."

In a sullen grumble Blue Blazer replied, "But I won't be serving you."

Celestia stood up and walked around her desk to place a delicate hoof on Blazer's shoulder. "So long as you keep the sun in your heart, you will always serve me, just as faithfully and dutifully as you have in the past. I believe in you." Blue Blazer looked up at her with tears in his eyes, and Celestia smiled down benevolently at him. "I'll give you a few weeks to announce your retirement, and to propose your replacement. Never forget though, you were always one of the best."

Blue Blazer stepped away from her, and bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you, it's been an honor." As he straightened, Celestia bowed her head regally, and with tears threatening to fall, the captain of her guard quietly left her office.

Finally alone with her thoughts once more, Celestia sank down onto a nearby cushion as she mulled over what she'd learned.

Her sister had no prior interest in her school or its students. Her sister had met with Twilight in the library, and soon afterward had revealed that she thought that Celestia had taken Bay Breeze on as her new personal student. The simplest and therefore most likely scenario was that Twilight had been the one to tell Luna about Bay Breeze. But why? And for that matter, why had the guards thought that Twilight had been upset?

Celestia thought back to the day in question. She had been a bit distracted. The griffon ambassador had found an addendum to the treaty that hadn't been worded as clearly as he had liked. So he had been threatening to throw away the entire document unless he had his way. Celestia had spent practically the whole day trying to smooth down the feathers on both sides.

She had allowed herself a short break from the negotiations only because she had promised the dean of her school much earlier that she would spend time with the students. So she had spent her short free time observing Bay Breeze perform an elementary magical lesson that Twilight Sparkle had mastered in a fraction of the time, and at an earlier age. She remembered that it had been around that time that her favorite and most faithful student had appeared.

Celestia had felt revitalized by meeting and speaking with Twilight Sparkle. In fact, she had gone back to the negotiations and had shortly forged an agreement between the dragons and the griffons that very night.

Although, thinking back on it, it did occur to Celestia that Twilight had seemed a bit more … awkward than normal. Later in the evening she had seemed much more relaxed around Luna, and there had been a bit of distance between her and her student. In fact, that was about the time that Twilight's letters had become less heartfelt and animated. And it had been shortly after that when Luna had asked about Bay Breeze taking Twilight's place…

Celestia chuckled disbelievingly at her epiphany. Twilight had been the one to tell Luna about Bay Breeze, and she probably was the one who had given Luna the idea that the filly was Celestia's new student. Twilight wasn't distancing herself from Celestia because she was growing up. It was because she thought that she'd been replaced.

Celestia's happiness for such a simple problem with an equally simple solution was short lived. Luna had known what Twilight had thought, and how Celestia felt. Yet she hadn't done anything to solve the problem. In fact, it appeared to Celestia that the gulf between her and Twilight was only growing wider. Why would Luna allow something which hurt both her sister and her friend to go on? Celestia could think of a few reasons, but few of them were pleasant.

Perhaps Blue Blazer's suspicions were still lingering in the air. Her first thought was that Luna might be deliberately trying to break apart Celestia and Twilight because Twilight was the key to the elements of harmony, the power that had defeated Nightmare Moon twice before. It could be an attempt to subvert the elements, to take them out of the equation. If that happened, then there was little else in Equestria which could be used to thwart any bid for power Luna made.

Such a sly and subtle scheme was at odds with what Celestia knew about her sister. But then again, she hadn't been aware of the depths of Luna's feelings a millennium ago until Nightmare Moon had appeared. There had been a time when she had understood the workings of her sister's mind intimately. But now, Luna was more often than not a mystery to Celestia. Gone was the happy, carefree alicorn she had known. In her place was a moody and somber pony that had the entire palace walking on eggshells.

Another, less alarmist reason behind Luna's silence was that perhaps Twilight Sparkle had forbidden her from telling Celestia. Celestia smiled fondly at the thought. In many ways Twilight was still a filly, and she could easily see her student swearing Luna to secrecy for reasons clear only to herself.

Or perhaps Luna was simply taking her time to gather information to fully understand both sides of the issue. She had never been one to leap into things, preferring to study and think things over before choosing a course of action.

Or possibly Luna was feeling resentful that Celestia wasn't paying as much attention to her as she thought she deserved. Maybe she was deliberately trying to steal Twilight Sparkle away from Celestia in order to hurt her older sister.

As the scenarios running through her mind became ever more outlandish, Celestia reigned in her thoughts and fears. The simple facts were, Twilight had seen her with Bay Breeze, and for one reason or another had come to the conclusion that she had been replaced as Celestia's favored pupil. Twilight had gone to the place she felt safest in, the library, where she had met Luna and had told her about Bay Breeze and her presumed new position. Luna had calmed the unicorn down and apparently had established a rapport with Twilight which had blossomed into a friendship. Luna had then found out the truth of the matter from Celestia, but had failed to clear up the misunderstanding, and instead had left for Ponyville to deepen her friendship with Twilight Sparkle.

The possible reasons for Luna's actions were endless, but they fell into three broad groups. Either she was plotting to eliminate the elements of harmony as a possible enemy, or she was deliberately trying to hurt either Celestia or Twilight, or there was some benign reason which made sense to somepony.

The first option was the direst. The two times that Nightmare Moon had been defeated, it had been because of the elements of harmony. Celestia was arguably more powerful than her sister, and undeniably more experienced. But Nightmare Moon was much more powerful than either Luna or Celestia. Besides which, Celestia wasn't sure that she had the heart to fight Nightmare Moon or Luna again. She reflected on the battle they had waged against each other a thousand years ago. The blows that had been struck, the wounds that had been inflicted, the oaths and curses made which could never be unsaid. They all reverberated through time and their sharp pain still pierced Celestia's heart. No. While Celestia loved Equestria and all her little ponies, if Luna was planning on resurrecting Nightmare Moon, and bringing about eternal night, Celestia wasn't sure if she would be able to stand up against her again.

Celestia sighed and lowered the sun. In the brief minutes between sunset and moonrise, when the sky was rainbowed in red, purple, and black, Celestia mulled over the second possibility. That Luna was deliberately sabotaging Celestia's relationship with Twilight not because she was planning on usurping Celestia's place, but simply out of spite.

The Luna Celestia had once known would never act so pettily. But perhaps being treated simply as the "other" princess for so long had caused the resentment in Luna to build up and change her. Certainly Celestia could understand how grating the way other ponies treated her must be. Few if any supplicants during the night, a staff afraid of you, guards suspicious of you, and the only pony who could truly understand you only having a few hours of each day at best to meet with you. Exacerbating the problem was the fact that Luna was a bit less outgoing than Celestia, and that shyness meant some ponies took liberties with Luna that they would never have thought of taking with her older sister.

Celestia shook her head ruefully as she realized that she'd been as guilty as the other ponies. On multiple occasions she'd dumped simple but tedious administrative asks on Luna's lap simply because she didn't feel like doing them. Could Luna's actions be her passive-aggressive way of getting back at Celestia? Or maybe it was a cry for help?

The moon's silvery light stole over Canterlot, breaking the city of towers into columns of black and grey.

Finally, Celestia considered the last possibility; the one she hoped was the truth. The one where Luna was remaining silent not out of hatred or spite, but because of a reason more innocent in nature. Something that Celestia was unaware of, but made sense to Luna.

With all her heart Celestia hoped that the third possibility was the actual case. If Luna's actions were born out of some benign but mistaken emotion, then it would be a simple matter to rekindle Celestia's relationship with Twilight. And with Luna's newfound friendship with the young unicorn, perhaps between them, the princesses would be able to coax the wayward scholar to visit Canterlot more often.

Twilight's experiences in Ponyville had been wonderful for the once somewhat antisocial pony. With help from her friends, Twilight had learned many invaluable lessons in friendship and of life in general. She had grown as a pony in new and exciting ways, blossoming from a bookish filly into an intelligent, beautiful young mare.

But while her pupil had grown as a pony, freed from the structured world of the magical academy, Celestia couldn't help but miss Twilight's eager and excited energy. Certainly the princess had sycophants aplenty, innumerable servants, guards, attendants, nobles, and countless other ponies at her beck and call. But none of them were Twilight Sparkle. None of them had shown the talent, personality, power, dedication, or charming innocence that had made her apprentice unique. Without Twilight, Canterlot seemed a duller place, Luna's presence notwithstanding.

Celestia almost smacked herself in the face with her hoof. How had she allowed herself to get so far afield? She still had to determine what Luna's actual intentions were. Luckily, Celestia knew an excellent way to do just that.

If there was one thing about Luna that had stayed constant, it was that she was a poor liar. Unless she simply omitted a fact, it was usually fairly obvious to Celestia when her sister wasn't telling the truth. If Celestia were to send Luna a message that came just short of outright stating her conclusions about Luna's silence, she would probably be able to determine Luna's thoughts based upon her reply.

So Celestia flexed her magic and lit several of the nearby lamps. She also opened her writing desk across the room and levitated a quill, inkpot, and several pieces of parchment to where she sat. After only a few moments of thought, she dipped the quill in the ink, and began to write:

"Dearest sister,

I hope that this letter finds you well, and that you're enjoying your vacation. I also hope that you are finding Ponyville and its residents as pleasant as I know them to be. Please give my regards to Twilight Sparkle and all of her friends. Although I'm certain that they're all doing well.

Things are much the same here in Canterlot as when you left. Of course sometimes it seems like things never really change that much here. Not that such consistency is a bad thing. But watching over a nation of such peaceful ponies allows one considerable time to reflect, and feel lonely. I must admit that though you've been gone for only a few days, I miss you terribly, and look forward to your return.

But enough about me. I'm sure you don't want to hear about your sister's loneliness. How are you and Twilight getting along? I'm certain that by now you've come to recognize how special and talented she is. In fact, she was the first pony in centuries to capture my attention so thoroughly. She was such a joy to teach, and it was both exciting and entertaining to watch her explore her powers and to grow into the young mare she is today.

I know that as everypony grows, they must leave some of their relationships from the past behind. But I also know that while I've lost a student, you've gained a valuable friend. And nopony could ask for one finer.

I'm afraid that I must cut my letter short, the day is over and the night is quickly passing. I still need to begin on the paperwork for Captain Blazer's retirement. After many years of valuable service, the good captain has decided that his work for Equestria is finished. When you return to Canterlot, we can discuss his replacement, as well as perhaps a new organization for the palace guard. I like to mix things up every few decades to keep them on their hooves.

Please don't forget to give my love to Twilight, and I'm counting the days to your return.

Celestia"

Celestia looked over her the letter for a few minutes, hoping that her play to send Luna on a guilt trip wasn't too obvious. She knew it wasn't the finest piece of writing she'd ever produced, but she hoped that its slight awkwardness would give it an authentic feel. Deciding that it was good enough to draw out Luna's true feelings, Celestia rolled the paper into a scroll and sealed it with her crest. She concentrated slightly and in a bright flash of white hot light, the scroll disappeared.

It was getting late, at least for Celestia. While most ponies would be awake for hours to come, the early rising Celestia's self imposed bed time was fast approaching. She did actually need to get started on the paperwork for Blue Blazer's retirement, but resolved to see to it first thing in the morning.

She turned off the lights spread across her office and left the darkened room behind, locking the door after her. She trusted her ponies implicitly, but Celestia knew that sometimes curiosity could overcome common sense.

The hallways of the palace were empty as she passed through them on her way to her bedchamber. The change between the day and night shifts had taken place nearly an hour previously. Even though Celestia had increased the palace's night staff threefold since the return of her sister, it was still a fraction of the size of the day staff. The hallways which saw so much bustling activity during the day, were eerily still at night.

Celestia didn't want to unfairly force some of her subjects to go against their circadian rhythm, but perhaps she should look into hiring more night owlish ponies to augment the number of ponies awake during the night hours. While it seemed few ponies took advantage of Luna's court, it would be nice for the palace to appear as busy for her sister as it did for Celestia. She filed the idea away as she reached the hallway leading to the royal sister's private apartments. Celestia cast a lingering glance at Luna's star strewn door before sighing and entering her own bedroom.

It was a room only lightly touched by the passing centuries. A large and nearly garishly decorated vanity constructed when mirrors and gilding were the height of fashion, four hundred years previously, stood next to a plain but substantial bookcase she had brought from their last castle. One end of the room was dominated by a large and luxurious bed only fifty or so years old. Across from it were a large fireplace and a cushion specially made for a pony of her size. Scattered throughout the room were various knickknacks of days and adventures long past.

There was an intricately engraved drinking horn that had once been the tooth of the largest, most terrible dragon to ever plague Equestria. A golden apple from a tree long lost to myth. A portrait of her by Leonardo da Pony; his last piece in fact before his unfortunate end. These and other priceless treasures littered the room.

But perhaps the feature which Celestia enjoyed the most were the walls. The ones on which had the door leading to the palace, and led over to the fireplace, were of the close fitting stone as the rest of the palace. But the others had been enchanted to be transparent, from the inside of the room at least. Celestia had done it a few centuries earlier in a fit of boredom, and couldn't be happier with the result.

From her vantage, it seemed as if all of Canterlot, as well as all of Equestria were spread out at her hooves. Every night she went to bed her vision full of the star painted night, and every morning she awoke and welcomed the colorful beauty of her sun. The illusion was so well done, it was difficult to tell where the wall ended, and the tall rounded window which led out onto a small balcony attached to her room began.

Celestia's hoofmaidens had been through her room. The bed's cheerful white and yellow sheets had been turned down, the scrolls she had left strewn across the floor had been placed in a neat stack, and despite it being a summer night, there was a roaring fire in the fireplace. It's well intentioned heat was actually somewhat stifling, so Celestia rearranged the logs to reduce the size of the fire, then stepped out onto her balcony to enjoy the night air while waiting for her bedroom to cool down a bit.

Far below the lights in the streets of Canterlot created a small sea of warm illumination. But the towers which stretched into the night sky were dark columns of inky blackness, only made slightly lighter by the cold moonlight. A few of their windows were lit, and the small squares and circles of artificial light were beacons in the dark sky.

There was something pretty about the night that had only come back when Luna had taken her duties over again. Celestia wasn't sure what it was, couldn't quite name it, but she knew it had been lacking when she had been responsible for both the day and the night. For a thousand years Celestia had simply copied what Luna had once done, and propelled her sister's moon across the unchanging night sky, and it had been enough. But ever since Luna's return, the night felt more … alive. The stars wheeled and danced far above, while the moon made its slow circuit full of pale fire and dark shadow. Yes, Celestia mused to herself, something had changed.

She had spent several long minutes outside admiring not only the night, but the city before her, when a dark wisp of magical smoke, only slightly brighter than the dark night, curled up around the edge of the balcony. It stopped just in front of Celestia and began to rapidly twirl, compacting in on itself. There was a faintly audible pop, and the smoke transformed into a scroll bearing Luna's dark blue seal. With a heart full of nervous apprehension, Celestia levitated the scroll up before it could fall to the ground, and broke the seal.

Luna's normal hoofwriting was an elegant calligraphy incorporating many flourishes and artful decorations absent in most modern writing. It was a beautiful script which seemed more suited for an illuminated manuscript than a simple note. While Celestia could see a similarity between Luna's normal hoofwriting and that in the letter she received, it was difficult.

Usually Luna wrote neat and evenly, each word crafted to be passed down through the ages. This letter though had been written very poorly. Some lines were thin and slanted together, as if Luna had been racing to get them onto the paper. Others were wide and shaky, the ink blotted, as if Luna had been reluctant to write and had rested the pen against the paper for several long moments. There was even a spot near the end of the letter where Luna had pressed down so forcefully that the nib of the pen had broken and sent out a spray of ink.

Even before she began to read, Celestia knew that her sister had written while under an emotional strain.

"Dear Celestia,

I was surprised to receive your letter. To be honest, I hadn't thought our separation to be long enough to necessitate correspondence. That being said, I must admit that I have often found my thoughts with you in Canterlot during this journey, and was most delighted to receive your letter. I'm glad you felt the urge to write me, your letter allowed me to organize my own thoughts. Things are much clearer for me now.

I'm sorry that you're feeling so isolated and despondent, but know that I miss you very much. Upon my return, I have a confes some news to share with you which hopefully will alleviate the reasons behind your melancholy. It will likely be something of a bittersweet revelation, but ultimately a pleasant one I hope believe.

Twilight is doing well. She is one of the most amazing She is as talented and knowledgeable as you've informed me in the past, and it's quite apparent why you chose her as your pupil. Her power is only surpassed by her intellect, yet what little hubris she has is charming in its innocence. She often frets about appearing mature and capable in front of everypony, and myself in particular, but I readily admit that I enjoy her unguarded moments. The ones in which she reveals herself as normal as any other pony, perhaps more so.

I find that Twilight lacks the protective emotional shell most other ponies have. Even the most off the cuff remark or unintended slight can wound her deeply. She's so very strong, yet at the same time quite fragile. Anypony would be lucky to have her as a friend, no matter how much or how little time they spend with her.

As I already wrote, I have something of great importance to discuss with you upon my return. But I would like I believe that it can wait until then.

I look forward to returning to Canterlot and relieving you of your sadness,

Luna."

Despite the relative brevity of the letter and the jumble of emotions behind it, Celestia smiled. Whatever Luna's reasons behind her actions, they weren't malevolent. If her sister had been attempting to negate the elements of harmony and try to claim the throne for herself, her letter would have been calm and collected. It would have reassured Celestia, insincerely soothing her into widening the rift between her and her student.

If Luna had been merely attempting to separate them from spite, her letter would have been triumphant and aggravating. However, Luna's tone had been almost apologetic. Her mind and emotions were unsettled, enough so that she seemed to have missed the section in Celestia's letter about Blue Blazer, or had thought it not important enough to address.

Instead, Luna had focused her attention entirely on Twilight, and to a lesser extent Celestia. She had alluded to news she felt Celestia should know which could only be the revelation about Twilight's true feelings. She had even gone so far as hint at Twilight's sensitivity and how easy it was for there to be a misunderstanding with the young unicorn.

It was obvious that Luna was aware of the state of affairs between Celestia and Twilight, and was upset over her part in it. So Celestia smiled because Twilight still loved her, and as soon as Luna worked up the courage to face her fears, Celestia could show her that they had been entirely groundless, whatever they were. Celestia loved Luna, and could forgive her anything.

With a bounce in her step, Celestia walked back into her room. Her sleep that night was easy and full of wonderful dreams about the future. A future with her, Luna, and Twilight in that endless summer field from the picture on her desk.

* * *

><p>AN

Thanks to Dawning the Mask and Labrotrist for pre-reading and not blocking my e-mail address.

Also a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed or commented. You give me that funny feeling in my tummy. Although I question why this story is disproportionately popular in Australia compared to the other countries represented by those who've favorited or put this story on alert.


	5. Part 2d

I do not own My Little Pony

Double the pleasure, double the fun.  
>For you I've squeezed two chapters into one.<p>

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><p>The sun burst over the horizon, flooding the world with light. The vibrant dawn was an eruption of azure blue, rosy pink, warm yellow, and soft white. The beautiful colors mixed and blended with a thin line of clouds hovering just above the horizon, painting the sky with joyful, endless pastels. As the dawn spilled across the landscape, it seemed as if warmth and life were returning to Equestria.<p>

Celestia must have put extra effort into raising the sun that morning, Luna mused. She watched the spectacular display through the downstairs windows of the library, noting as the streaming morning light burst through the window and spilled across the room. After a few minutes it reached the table she had been sitting at for the past several hours. With slightly bloodshot eyes she watched as the light reflected off dust motes, causing them to dance in the otherwise still and silent library.

With a wry and humorless smile, Luna contemplated just how much difference a single night could make in a pony's life. Yesterday she had been happy. As happy as she could remember being in quite a long time. There was just something about being with Twilight that caused her cares to slip away. When they were together, Luna could forget everything else.

But the morning found her in the throes of a guilty debate that had wracked her mind the entire night, keeping her too occupied to find any solace in sleep. The cause of her restless and agitated thoughts, though not the very root, had been the letter from Celestia.

It had seemed innocuous enough when it had appeared. Although Luna had noticed a brief flash of covetousness and pain cross Twilight's face at the sight of the letter before the unicorn could school her expression. Her smile had been forced as she excused herself and dragged away the recently returned Spike to give Luna some privacy as she read the letter.

Luna had prepared herself for the various possibilities contained in the missive from her sister. Perhaps there had been a new development back at court and Celestia needed her to cut her trip short. Or possibly it was a message asking for her advice on a point of policy or jurisprudence that Celestia felt Luna would was more experienced in. Or it could possibly even be a letter for Twilight that Celestia had accidentally misdirected.

But what Luna had found was a message that pierced her to the very core and had torn at her delicate heart. On the surface, the letter had been a simple and friendly update from Celestia. But Luna could easily read between the lines of what her sister had written. She knew Celestia better than anypony, and the feelings behind her sister's words had left Luna in despair.

Celestia cared for Twilight, perhaps more deeply than Luna had suspected. And now, thanks to a simple misunderstanding, as well as Luna's silence, her normally unflappable sister was obviously falling into a depression. A lessening of spirits likely unnoticeable by the layponies, but one which was all too apparent to a loving sister.

Celestia's unguarded affection and longing for Twilight as a student, and as a friend, had begun an internal debate within Luna which had lasted all night. She scarcely knew what she had written in response to Celestia's letter. Hopefully it hadn't been anything too revealing. In addition, she couldn't quite remember what she'd said to Twilight to appease her when she had tried to coax Luna to bed.

But what Luna did remember was sitting all night long at the well-worn library table, mentally waging a war with herself and continuously chasing her thoughts in a vicious circle. Her guilty conscience and her love for Celestia were at odds with her feelings toward Twilight and her still lingering resentment over the fact that Celestia always seemed to get whatever Luna wanted. Truthfully, the argument was simple. Whose happiness was more important, Luna's or Celestia's? This wasn't the first time the issue had come to dominate Luna's thoughts. But this time there was the added complication of considering Twilight's happiness as well.

The solution of course was simple enough. Luna would just tell the truth, and Twilight would go back to adoring Celestia, likely only sparing the other princess the occasional burst of anger over having been befriended under false pretenses.

Luna silently admonished herself. Twilight would never act so pettily. She was far too good a pony to view Luna with resentment for too long. Certainly she'd feel angry at first, but after a while her anger would either turn to pity or apathy, and Luna wasn't sure which would feel the worse to be the target of.

What she was sure of though, was that all of Twilight's love, affection, and attention would be devoted to Celestia again, once she learned that the princess hadn't really been trying to push her away. And why shouldn't that be the case? After all, Celestia had been her teacher, her mentor, her idol, for the majority of her life. Under Celestia's gentle hoof and loving eye, Twilight had grown into a wonderful mare and an exemplary pony. It was only natural that Twilight and Celestia would have deep feelings for one another, somewhere between those of a mentor and a student, and those of a mother and child.

What pony wouldn't have developed similar feelings in such a situation? It was only natural. Even Luna could admit that Celestia was as close to perfection as a pony could ever hope to be. Her beauty, wisdom, power, kindness, and generosity were unmatched. Luna knew just how demanding it was to rule all of Equestria, how lonely it could be as an alicorn. Yet Celestia had ruled alone for a thousand years, and her generosity, her kindness, her love for life, and her love for her little ponies were all untarnished by the years. If anypony deserved the happiness of having a friend like Twilight, it was Celestia.

And Twilight … Well, Twilight was the most wonderful pony Luna had ever met; even counting those from before her exile. There was something about her that caused her to stand out from the herd. Certainly she was beautiful and powerful, but those aspects only added to her inherent charm. Twilight as a whole was captivating, but what had first drawn Luna to her was her innocence.

Twilight knew volumes upon volumes of information, but it had all been obtained through reading about the studies and experiences of other ponies. She'd never gone out and experienced the world in the way that most other ponies did. That had left her with a certain precious vulnerability, which instinctively made Luna want to protect her from the dangers and hurts that the world could callously visit upon a pony. Twilight seemed so strong because of her magical abilities and her knowledge, but really she was delicate. In some ways, even more delicate then ponies half her age.

Despite her wish to be the guardian of Twilight's innocence, Luna knew that Celestia was infinitely better suited for the role. After all, her sister had been Twilight's protector all her life. What room in such a relationship was there for Luna?

No. When Celestia and Twilight rekindled their relationship, Twilight's heart would be too full to have any space left over for her. So Luna would once again return to being alone, the same as before, and perhaps it would be better that way. They did say that it was better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.

Luna was used to being alone, so very alone. Even though she hated it, she wouldn't wish that feeling upon anypony else, especially Celestia. She well knew the feeling of being alone in a crowd, and she knew the hurt that Celestia must feel as she labored under the belief that Twilight had turned her back on her. As the dawn's gentle light flowed over her unmoving form, warming Luna's skin, she came to the conclusion that despite wanting to be happy herself, the only logical resolution to the problem was for her to tell the truth, for Twilight and Celestia to be happy once again. It would be better than to continue hurting both of the ponies who meant so much to her.

She had just made the vow to come clean, when Luna heard hoofsteps above her, breaking the early morning's silence. She looked up to find Twilight frozen on the stairs leading to the bedroom, examining Luna with concern in her eyes.

"Did you sit there all night?" Twilight blurted out.

Luna's voice was thick from disuse. "No, I … Yes. I had a lot on my mind last night." She turned her head away so she didn't have to stare into Twilight's innocently caring eyes. She had just resolved to tell Twilight the truth only moments before, yet faced with such a sudden opportunity, Luna couldn't force herself to speak. She wanted to tell her the truth, she really did. But she just couldn't stand to see those ridiculously large and trusting eyes filled with the anger and betrayal that Luna knew would be her due.

"I see," Twilight said sadly as she completed her descent down the stairs.

Luna hoped her inner turmoil wasn't apparent in the morning gloom as she attempted to assume a pleasant façade. "You seem to be up rather early, Twilight."

"I didn't sleep well last night," Twilight admitted with a small shake of her head. "I just couldn't get comfortable."

Feeling that Twilight's discomfort was somehow her fault, Luna sincerely apologized, "I'm sorry."

Twilight quietly walked through the shadow-strewn library, coming to a stop near where Luna was sitting. Her voice was somewhat admonishing as she inquired, "I tried to stay awake last night, waiting for you to come to bed. Did you really stay down here all night long? Aren't you tired?"

Actually, Luna felt surprisingly rested for having been awake for the entire night, as well as most of the previous day. At least rested physically. Mentally though, she was quite weary from having chased her thoughts in fruitless circles for the past several hours. She had examined all sides of her self-created dilemma so thoroughly and so often, that she was content with at last having reached a decision. So much so that for the moment, it was inconsequential that she hadn't acted on it yet. Simply coming to a resolution was enough, for now.

Luna's wan smile didn't quite reach her eyes as she replied, "I'm sorry for keeping you up. I had meant to go bed, but I was so lost in thought that time slipped away from me. But for some reason, I'm not all that tired."

"It was Princess Celestia's letter that kept you up all night, wasn't it? Was there some troubling news, or…" Twilight's voice rose in anxiety, then fell into an unsure whisper as she asked the question which had obviously been plaguing her. "Maybe something about me?"

"No. Well, yes. But not what you think," Luna unthinkingly replied, eager to reassure her friend. "Celestia asked how you were doing, and sent you her love. The rest of the letter though is what occupied my mind last night." The parts left unwritten, but no less real, which had also concerned Twilight.

"Oh." Twilight sounded much less distraught, and her wandering eyes met Luna's once again. "I see. I hope that whatever it was wasn't anything too troubling. I know that affairs of state can be complex and delicate."

Luna rested her head on one hoof and sadly smiled. If only it was a problem of state, things would be so much simpler. "It's nothing like that," she assured Twilight. "It's something more personal. Something that doesn't really affect Equestria as a whole, just us."

Twilight apparently misunderstood Luna and assumed that the "us" she had referred to meant Celestia and Luna alone. "Well, I can't say that I know much about sibling relationships since I was an only child. But if you need a pony to bounce ideas off of, or just somepony to listen, I'm here for you."

This was it, Luna's golden opportunity to tell the truth, to reveal to Twilight the dilemma that had been occupying her thoughts for so long. To heal the breach between her and Celestia, and to return the happiness she had borrowed for a little while. All she had to do was to speak, and Twilight could once again bask in Celestia's attention as her closest and most faithful protégé.

Luna breathed in deeply, sitting up straighter as she steeled her resolve. She looked up into Twilight's eyes, and the words that would reveal her depravity, her duplicity, her true self, caught in her throat.

The morning's sunlight was gently caressing Twilight's features, causing her to positively glow with an ethereal beauty. Her face was unguarded and trusting, and her eyes … Her amaranthine eyes, clear and depthless, were guileless, caring, and perhaps even loving. Only one other pony had ever regarded Luna with such tender openness, and that pony had been Celestia. The Celestia of Luna's youth, before so many things had gone wrong, before an unbridgeable, but understandable gulf had opened up between them. Tears threatened Luna's eyes and her heart ached with a swelling pressure. How could she possibly bring herself to destroy something as heartwarmingly beautiful as Twilight's simple, unalloyed trust?

Luna had pledged herself to tell the truth. She knew that it would be hard when she did, and the longer she waited, the worse Twilight would feel, and the worse she'd feel in turn. But perhaps she'd waited too long already. It hurt her to remain silent, but she knew it would hurt even worse if she broke that fragile moment with the truth, and lost the trust, the faith of the one pony who unquestioningly trusted her, who truly cared for her.

Despite not being the most socially experienced pony, Twilight seemed to pick up on Luna's distress. She flattened her ears and looked away from Luna in embarrassment, or perhaps disappointment. She cleared her throat and switched to a different, safer topic of conversation. "Well, it's pretty early. Spike probably won't be up for several hours. He usually sleeps in late, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders apparently ran him pretty ragged yesterday too. Anyway, I don't think there's much in the way of breakfast food left in the kitchen, so I was thinking of going over to Sugar Cube Corner and picking something up. Does that sound good to you?"

Luna was ashamed of the relief that flowed through her at being left off the hook so easily. "Yes. That sounds wonderful. Although, are you certain it's alright to leave Spike alone?"

"We won't be gone for long. I'll just leave him a note telling him where we went." Twilight smiled reassuringly at Luna before she turned to go back upstairs. With the other mare's back turned, Luna took the opportunity to hastily wipe the moisture from her eyes, hoping that the sleepless night and her melancholy thoughts hadn't combined to make them appear too puffy.

While Twilight was busy upstairs, Luna made her way to the bathroom where she quickly checked her appearance. Thankfully no sleep meant no bed mane. Although it seemed that there might be some truth to Rarity's warning from yesterday. Luna's eyes were circled by slightly darker rings which promised to develop into bags if she subjected herself to too many more sleepless nights. Other than that hopefully easily overlooked imperfection, Luna appeared as she normally did. Just plain, simple, not exotic like her sister, Luna. She paused long enough to wash her face with some refreshingly cold water, before she returned to the library just in time to meet Twilight descending the stairs again.

"Spike's still asleep. I don't think anything short of a hurricane can wake him up right now. So, you ready to go?"

Luna returned her friend's eager smile with a small, only partially fake, one of her own. "Yes. More than ready actually. It will feel wonderful to stretch my legs after so much sitting." Luna said in an attempt to substitute over-enthusiasm for sincere happiness. She would tell Twilight the truth; she just needed time to prepare herself. She needed just the right moment to come along. A small part of her worried that the right moment had already passed, and the rest of her feared that the small part was right.

Nonetheless, Luna was sick and tired of her internal debate, so she simply tried as hard as possible to put it out of her mind as she followed Twilight out of the darkened library and into the quiet morning. The morning dimmed as the sun passed through the narrow gap between the horizon and the clouds that had reflected its light earlier.

"It's somewhat overcast this morning," Luna observed with an inquiring glance at the sky. In the dim recesses of the clouds, she caught the shadowy forms of ponies flittering about through above, gathering the wispy clouds together into something more substantial. "Is it scheduled to rain today?"

Twilight paused, also looking up at the white-grey clouds. "I'm not sure. I forgot to read this week's weather plan. But it sure looks like it, doesn't it? They probably have a copy of the weather schedule at Sugar Cube Corner that we can look at."

With unspoken agreement, the two ponies, the only ponies in the street at that hour, began to walk toward Sugar Cube Corner again, moving a bit more quickly through the still darkened streets then they had before. By the time they had reached the whimsical building that had hosted Luna's welcome party, the clouds overhead were thicker, covering the sky in all directions with a uniform dark grey.

The door to the bakery was wide open, and from it wafted a medley of wonderful aromas. Sugar, cinnamon, butter, and rising yeast, all mingling together to produce a symphony of fragrances, which were carried by a warm breeze coming from the well lit store. With the almost tangible promise of baked goods before them, Twilight and Luna eagerly left the overcast day behind them and stepped into the warm and inviting building.

Gone were the banners, streamers, balloons, and other party accoutrements that had festooned the shop the last time Luna had been there. In their place were counters and tables full of baked goods of every type. From simple golden-brown baguettes pouring from baskets, to sugar encrusted tarts, to turnovers oozing their sweet fruity paste stacked hoof deep atop large platters.

Amidst the myriad of baked goods stood a rotund blue earth pony with pastel pink hair and a cupcake themed cutie mark. She was in the middle of carefully sliding a tray of muffins into a covered cart which already held several other racks of pastries. The earth pony noticed their entrance out of the corner of her eye, and after pushing the tray of muffins into place; she discreetly spit out her potholder and turned to greet them.

"Good morning, Twilight! I wasn't expecting anypony this morning …" she trailed off as she looked in Luna's direction, fully taking in the alicorn for the first time. She immediately dropped into a hasty and awkward bow. "Oh my, Your Majesty, I didn't realize –"

"Please, stand up, there's no need to be so formal." It seemed odd to be so deferentially treated by such an obviously matronly pony.

"Luna, this is Mrs. Cake. Mrs. Cake, this is Lu-Princess Luna." Twilight introduced them, with a graceful wave of her hoof from one pony to the other.

Mrs. Cake slowly stood up, and beamed at Luna. "It's a pleasure to meet you, dearie, er, I mean Your Majesty."

"The pleasure's all mine," Luna assured Mrs. Cake with what she hoped was a disarming smile.

Mrs. Cake firmly closed the rear of the cart she'd been loading with a hoof, as she thoughtfully said, "Oh, you girls must be hungry if you came all this way right before the big storm. When Princess Celestia was here, she just loved our apple cupcakes. I don't think we have any made right now, but if you wait just two shakes, I can whip a batch up for you."

She squeezed behind a counter, but paused when Twilight asked, "So, is it going to rain today?"

Mrs. Cake looked at Twilight incredulously, obviously surprised by the unicorn's ignorance. "Of course it is, dearie. Today's storm was announced weeks ago. It's going to be a doozy, with lots of rain all morning. Didn't you get a copy of this month's weather schedule?"

Twilight chuckled nervously, as she examined the wooden ceiling overhead. "I uh, must have not got gotten this month's, no."

"Well, what about the reminders at city hall and at the post office?"

Twilight's ears lowered in embarrassment, and she changed to examining the floor as she admitted, "I really haven't gotten out of the house much lately."

"You didn't even see the leaflets the weather patrol dropped yesterday?" Mrs. Cake pressed.

"Well…"

Luna finally decided to save Twilight from further embarrassment by changing to subject. She stepped forward, drawing Mrs. Cake's attention. "Mrs. Cake, while it is most kind of you to offer to bake confections for me, I'd hate for you to go out of your way on my behalf." She waved a hoof toward the dizzying array of baked delights on display. "I'm sure that we'll be more than capable of finding something delectable already prepared. Besides which, while my sister and I have many things in common, in some cases our tastes differ," she stated with a glance sideways at Twilight.

Twilight met Luna's gaze, and for some reason her cheeks flushed red.

Mrs. Cake waved away Luna's argument, and cheerfully stated, "Oh, it wouldn't be any trouble at all, Princess Luna."

"Really, we wouldn't want to impose upon you, Mrs. Cake," Luna said earnestly.

"It wouldn't be any imposition-"

"I would not like apple cupcakes!" Luna exclaimed in exasperation, her nostrils flaring in agitation. From Mrs. Cake's shocked and somewhat frightened expression, Luna realized she'd perhaps spoken a bit too loud and forcefully. Sheepishly, in a calmer tone, she added, "I'm sure that what you already have prepared will be more than adequate."

"Oh, o-okay," Mrs. Cake stuttered out, still a bit shaken from Luna's show of force.

"Honey bun, is everything alright?" a masculine voice called out. A lanky yellow stallion with an orange mane came out of a nearby door wearing a heavy rain resistant poncho and galoshes that extended nearly all the way to his knees.

"Just fine," Mrs. Cake hastily assured him. "I was just talking with Twilight Sparkle and the Princess here…"

The stallion looked over at the two ponies and after a moment his eyes widened with surprise and apprehension. "Oh! Uh, Princess …"

"Luna," his wife supplied in a stage whisper.

"Luna. What a pleasant surprise to have you visiting our simple store." He looked down at himself, obviously attempting to figure out the logistics of properly bowing in his unwieldy rain gear.

Luna preempted him by warmly replying, "It's my pleasure, Mr…"

"Cake," the stallion replied.

He must be Mrs. Cake's husband. Luna smiled to herself at the cute contrast the two ponies made with one another, the one tall and lanky, the other short and plump. With good humor, Luna greeted him again, "It's wonderful to meet you Mr. Cake. And please, don't sell your store short, it's quite charming, and your wide selection looks wonderful."

"Oh, well, thank you," Mr. Cake said with unreserved gratitude.

"So, what brings you girls out so early?" Mrs. Cake inquired.

Before they could reply, a pink earth pony with voluminous hair poked her head through the door Luna remembered leading into the kitchen. "Mrs. Cake, where's the good chocolate? Not the kind you hide from me, I already ate that. But the kind you use for brownies."

Pinkie Pie, one of the easier of Twilight's friends to remember, noticed the visitors to the store, and her eyes lit up. "Twilight, Lunie, I haven't seen you guys in forever!"

Pinkie exuberantly leapt at Twilight and Luna, and pulled them into a tight embrace. A very tight embrace. So tight in fact that Luna could practically tell exactly what she'd been baking from the scent left on her coat. Sugar, flour, butter, … vanilla?

"Pinkie … too … tight," Twilight gasped out as she tried to pull herself out from under Pinkie's hoof. Abruptly Pinkie let both of them go, almost causing Luna to topple over from the sudden release. "It's only been a few days since we saw you at the party, Pinkie," Twilight griped as she rubbed at her sore neck with a hoof.

"Really? But it feels like it's been months since we last got together." Excitement lit up Pinkie's face. "Oh, you know what we should do to celebrate our getting-back-together-ness?"

"Party?" Twilight hazarded.

Pinkie put a friendly hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "That's a great idea, Twilight. But we can't. It's too short notice to plan a good party, and I'm having a rainy day party later today. A pony can't be at two parties at the same time. That's called the party exclusion principle. It's one of those laws of physics that nopony can break, I know, I've tried. But since we can't party, we should do some baking!"

Twilight was silent for a few moments as she pondered something, before she replied, "You mean the Pauli exclusion principle?"

"Nah, that's for fermions, not ponies, silly."

Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but closed it with a snap, and rolled her eyes while shaking her head at Pinkie being Pinkie. With a sigh, she said, "Pinkie, maybe we could bake later. Luna and I just came over to pick up something for breakfast. We didn't intend to stay for too long."

"Oh, why didn't you say so?" Pinkie asked as she bounced over to a nearby table laden with baked goods. "We've got cinnamon buns, honey buns, iced buns, all sorts of buns for your buns."

"Well, it seems like you have everything in hoof, Pinkie, I'd better be going, dear." Mr. Cake announced. "These deliveries won't make themselves you know. And neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, will stay the Cakes from the swift completion of their appointed rounds," he said while standing a bit straighter.

Mrs. Cake moved closer to her husband, and anxiously said, "Be careful out there, dear. I don't want you to be blown away by the storm."

"Don't worry, I'll stay safe, honey bun." Mr. Cake leaned down and planted a chaste yet heartfelt kiss on his wife's cheek. Mrs. Cake blushed a bit as she lightly nuzzled her husband in turn.

Luna found herself smiling warmly at the wonderfully domestic scene. The cakes obviously loved each other very much, and their heartfelt regard for one another seemed to overflow and spread throughout the entire store.

All too soon, Mr. Cake straightened and turned his attention to the cart full of baked goods. With Mrs. Cake's efficient and practiced aid, he was soon harnessed and began to pull the cart out of the shop. But before he left, Mr. Cake paused on the threshold. "Goodbye dear, Princess Luna, Twilight, Pinkie, I should be back in a few hours, but if you're gone before I get back, I hope you have a wonderful day." He nodded his appreciation for the chorus of well wishes that answered him, and pulled the heavily laden cart out into the ever-darkening morning.

As Mr. Cake disappeared through the open door, Luna noticed the first few raindrops of the day fall and soundlessly hit the dusty ground. Still hoping to return to the library before the rain began in earnest; Luna turned her attention to the glass display case Twilight was perusing. Pinkie was busy shuffling the many flaky breakfast pastries between the display and the tables around the store.

Mrs. Cake had watched her husband until he could no longer be seen through the shadows of the gloomy morning. But she quickly roused herself and cast off her somewhat fretful countenance in favor of a more businesslike attitude. "Pinkie, the chocolate for the brownies is where I always put it."

"Oh!" Pinkie said wonderingly. "I didn't even look there because you try to hide it, so I was looking for it in all the places you usually hide the chocolate." She bounced across the room and back into the kitchen crying out, "Forward, for brownies!"

The other three ponies watched her exit with similar expressions of resigned wonder. With a rueful shake of her head and a small smile, Mrs. Cake asked, "Well girls, is there anything you see that you like?" She moved over to stand behind the glass counter, helpfully waiting for them to order.

"It just all looks so good," Twilight complained good-naturedly. Luna had to agree with her assessment. The multitude of sweet baked goods, some flaky, some moist, all mouth watering, was simply staggering.

As they continued to weigh the merits of each of the offered breakfast options, Pinkie returned from the kitchen. "You were right, Mrs. Cake. But don't worry, next time I need chocolate, I'll check there first, and third." She joined Luna and Twilight in their hungry appraisal of the store's wares. "Boy, all these look sooo good, don't they?" she asked conversationally.

"Oh yes," Luna easily agreed.

"Too good. I can't decide which one I want," Twilight groused.

Pinkie leaned in companionably and asked, "Well, what kind of taste do you want? I know when I wake up first thing in the morning, I really want sugar, and lots of it."

Twilight contemplated Pinkie's advice for a moment and replied, "Sugar could be good, but those baguettes smell wonderful, and I'm kind of wanting something buttery now instead of just outright sweet."

"And light," Luna chimed in. She hadn't forgotten her resolution to watch her intake on her vacation. Pinkie's earlier reference to their flanks had been a helpful reminder.

Pinkie tilted her head and thought out loud. "Hmm, something buttery and light …" Her ears shot up and she joyfully announced, "Oh, I know!" She hastily trotted around the counter and leaned down behind the glass. When she straightened, she had a basket in her mouth that she slammed on top of the counter. It was overflowing with popovers, one of which tumbled out, thanks to Pinkie's rough treatment, and it bounced off of Luna's nose.

"Popovers!" Pinkie cried. "They're buttery and light, and fluffy, and so, so good."

"Pinkie!" Mrs. Cake cried out in horrified mortification. "That's no way to treat a customer, especially a royal one!"

"Aw it's okay, right Luna?" Pinkie asked, popping back up over the top of the counter.

"Oh. Yes. It's quite all right, Mrs. Cake. Pinkie Pie is our friend." Luna glanced at Twilight, waiting for her to chime in her agreement. But Twilight remained silent, and her painfully wooden smile was at odds with the intense glare she was casting at Pinkie. After a brief hesitation, Luna turned back to reassuring Mrs. Cake. "Besides which, her suggestion seems like the answer to our breakfast dilemma. These popovers look wonderful."

Luna used her magic to select one of the puffy pastries from the basket and floated it close enough for her to take a petite bite from it. Her appreciative smile, meant to assure Mrs. Cake that everything was fine, was completely unfeigned. Silently Luna wondered if all ponies in Ponyville were naturally adept at cooking.

"Well, I suppose if you're alright with it dearie, then everything's fine." Mrs. Cake sounded mollified, but she was still shooting Pinkie a look that promised they would speak about the matter again sometime.

Luna levitated another of the popovers, sending it toward Twilight, though the pastry was so light it almost floated by itself. Twilight recovered herself enough to smile appreciatively at Luna and murmur, "thank you," before taking hold of the muffin with her own magic. Luna could feel a shiver running up and down her spine as Twilight's magic caressed her own. She hid discomfort from the not entirely unpleasant feeling by focusing intently on the basket of puffed pastries and audaciously selecting another popover. They were just so good, and so light, that she had to have another.

While she guiltily helped herself to a second pastry, with Mrs. Cake looking on with pride, Luna became aware of a soft pattering that was quickly growing in intensity coming from behind her. Thoughtfully chewing on the popover, Luna turned back to the still open door and found that she and Twilight had tarried for too long. The storm had begun in earnest, and in a few minutes, the rain intensified to the point that it was pounding down in loud and heavy torrents.

"Yay, rain!" Pinkie cried excitedly. "Time to party!" She hopped over the counter and quickly embraced Luna and Twilight before she retrieved a pointed party hat and a noisemaker from seemingly empty air. After fastening the hat on her head, she joyously blew the noisemaker and flung a small hoofful of confetti into the air.

"Pinkie, no parties downstairs during business hours," Mrs. Cake reminded the exuberant party pony sternly. Well, as sternly as the obviously good-natured pony could manage.

Pinkie wilted slightly and her noisemaker deflated. "Sorry, Mrs. Cake. I forgot." She did sound genuinely remorseful as she removed her party hat, and returned both it and the noisemaker to wherever she'd summoned them from.

"That's alright, Pinkie. Just remember that not everypony likes having parties all the time. Especially ponies like poor Mr. Breezy after that time he came in to pick up a cake and you accidentally hit him in the eye with a frozen cream pie."

"Yeah," Pinkie Pie agreed mournfully. "I guess we can't have a party right now. Even though I don't know why some ponies don't like parties, they're so fun!" Talking about her favorite subject had perked Pinkie back up, and she turned to Luna with an excited twinkle in her eye. "Ooooh, you know what else is fun that ponies can do together? Baking! And it's later now, you said we could bake later, and it's later. Besides, you guys can't leave in weather like this."

Twilight looked longingly out of the door at the near solid wall of water, as if contemplating whether it was truly impossible to leave. There was a flash of light, and a loud rumble of thunder washed over them. With a defeated expression, she decided, "Well, I guess since we can't go home in this weather, we could try our hooves at a little baking. If it's alright with Mrs. Cake of course." She silently implored Mrs. Cake with a pleading expression, but if she was looking to the older mare to save her from working in the kitchen, Twilight was doomed to be disappointed.

"That sounds like a good idea," Mrs. Cake said warmly. "Today's going to be slow, with everypony staying at home because of the rain. But we do need to get started on the cookies for Starlight's birthday party the day after tomorrow. I'll just hold down the store in case somepony does come by, but you girls can get started on those cookies."

Pinkie Pie squealed in excitement and bounced over to hug a somewhat downcast Twilight. "Yay! The only thing more fun than baking is baking with friends. Well, that and parties. But like Marie Ponyette said, 'if the ponies can't party, let them all bake.'"

Despite her being fairly certain that Pinkie had misquoted whomever she'd referenced, Luna couldn't help but find her excitement infectious. She began to look forward to getting her hooves dirty with a bit of cooking. Though her excitement was checked by Twilight's obvious lack of enthusiasm, which was honestly somewhat confusing to Luna. Surely baking wasn't all that difficult. After all, Luna was fairly sure that there were lists and instructions on how to proceed. She would think that Twilight would be thrilled at the opportunity to follow written instructions.

"Well you girls have fun, and don't forget to clean up after yourselves. Oh, and Pinkie dear, don't forget to taste everything before you give it to another pony."

Pinkie smartly saluted and promised, "Don't worry, Mrs. Cake, we won't let any baked bads get out this time." She then quickly herded Twilight and Luna into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Luna's attention was quickly captured by the oven, which had tendrils of thick black smoke escaping from it. "The oven's on fire!" she cried out.

"Of course it is, silly. How else could it bake things?" Pinkie asked as she gaily skipped over to the oven, throwing open its door with her hoof while she picked up a potholder with her mouth. A black cloud of smoke billowed from the oven, but it dissipated unnaturally quickly. Pinkie leaned into the oven and retrieved a glass dish, in which was a charred black mound of … something.

A sudden gust of wind passed through the kitchen, and the pile of ash swirled up and disappeared as it scattered into the air.

"What exactly was that, Pinkie?" Twilight asked dubiously.

Pinkie set the now empty dish on a trivet next to the sink before she cheerfully informed them, "That was just a batch of my oven cleaning brownies."

Twilight's eyebrow rose skeptically as she repeated, "Oven cleaning brownies?"

"Yep. It's my own special recipe, guaranteed to get your oven squeaky clean."

Luna angled her head a bit to examine the still open oven, and despite the billowing clouds of smoke it had been emitting earlier, the interior of the oven was spotless. "It is quite clean," she observed.

"It's guaranteed to clean off even the most stubborn of stains, or your bits back," Pinkie confided to them. "But enough about cleaning, it's time for some reading."

Pinkie gently slammed the oven door shut with her rear hoof as she traipsed across the kitchen and retrieved a stained and battered book from the built-in shelf there. Twilight's ears had perked and her face had lit up at the mention of reading. But upon seeing the title of the book, "Betty Hocker's Cookbook," her expression became somewhat pained.

"Hmmph menth auh gmpth rmthng mph," Pinkie said around a mouthful of book.

"Try putting the book down, then talking," Twilight suggested.

Pinkie placed the book down on the counter near where Twilight and Luna were standing. "Huh, that book tastes like almonds," she commented to herself while running her tongue over her lips. "Anyway, what I said was that this is a good starting book. It's got all sorts of recipes, including the basic one for the cookies we need to make. Once you guys make the batter, we can add the secret Sugar Cube Corner ingredients, and they'll be perfect."

Pinkie swept over to Luna and leaned in, placing her face uncomfortably close to Luna's. Pinkie had adopted a rather serious expression and overtly examined the room, shifting her eyes back and forth as if she were looking for somepony while she leaned in even closer to Luna. Still glancing from side to side, Pinkie threw a hoof around the back of Luna's neck, pulling them closer still.

In a whisper she asked, "Do you want to know what the secret ingredient is?"

Not entirely certain that she did want to know, Luna nervously nodded nonetheless.

Still on the lookout for eavesdroppers, Pinkie waved Luna closer with one hoof, while she pulled herself closer with the other. Obligingly Luna turned her head to better hear, and Pinkie leaned in, her warm breath causing Luna to fight the urge to flick her ear.

"The secret ingredient is," Pinkie paused dramatically in order to check on last time for spies. She lowered her head, but in a loud whisper announced, "love." Pinkie released Luna and hopped in front of the very confused princess. "Now, you have to promise never to tell anypony what the secret ingredient is, Luna. It's super duper important."

Luna wasn't sure just how much of a secret it was, but it was obviously important to Pinkie Pie. So with all due gravity, Luna promised, "I swear that I will never tell anypony what the secret ingredient is, Pinkie Pie."

"Do you Pinkie swear?" Pinkie asked while eyeing Luna sternly.

Before Luna could ask what a Pinkie swear was, Twilight interrupted with an exasperated sigh. "No, she doesn't Pinkie promise, Pinkie. She's a princess, a royal promise trumps a Pinkie promise."

Pinkie shook her head in disappointment, as if Twilight had just failed an important lesson. "Nothing trumps a Pinkie promise. Except maybe an oath of the moment, but really, who does those anymore?" Pinkie shrugged rhetorically, then narrowly examined Luna. "But if you vouch for her, Twilight, then I guess it's okay."

"Yes. She's Princess Luna, one of the rulers of all Equestria. I think we can trust her," Twilight replied, as if she were explaining the obvious to a small child. She went so far as to gesture toward Luna with her hoof as if to make sure that Pinkie knew which alicorn in the room they were talking about.

Luna smiled in appreciation of Twilight's trust. But internally her mood soured a bit. She wasn't nearly as trustworthy as the unicorn believed, and all too soon Luna was going to have to reveal to twilight just how duplicitous she was.

Pinkie continued to examine Luna for a few seconds longer before she smiled brightly and said, "Okie dokie artichokie." She then turned back to the cookbook she'd set down, and nimbly flipped it open with her nose. The book opened up to a well-used page near the middle, spattered with stains and crusty remnants of recipes past. "That's the recipe. I'll go get you guys a bowl so you can get started."

As Pinkie moved away to hunt down the bowl and other accoutrements they would need, Luna looked at Twilight a bit anxiously. She'd made her displeasure at being forced to cook fairly easy to pick up on. "Is everything alright, Twilight?"

"Yes. Mostly." Twilight sighed. "It's just that this book brings back some memories. Unpleasant ones. There was a copy in the Canterlot library, and it was the first cookbook that I ever read. At first it seemed wonderful, a book that had immediate practical applications. I was so excited to try it out that I ran all the way to the kitchens. At first the chefs were really supportive of me learning how to cook, but then things got a little out of hoof. There was a little fire, and well, there's a reason why everypony in the castle calls the kitchens the new kitchens," Twilight said with a nervous laugh.

Luna sided up to Twilight and bumped her comfortingly. "It couldn't have been all that bad."

"I'm never allowed to touch a pot or pan in Canterlot again, without direct supervision by a palace chef or Princess Celestia herself."

A bit stunned at the draconian rules imposed on Twilight, Luna was silent for a moment. "Oh. Well, what exactly was the problem? It seems to me like cookbooks are just a collection of lists and instructions. I would think that a pony like you would be a natural at following them."

"That's the problem," Twilight groaned. "They seem like a bunch of steps that should be easy to follow, but they're too easy. They're so ambiguous that they're entirely unscientific. I mean, what is the exact measurement of a 'smidge' anyway?" Twilight asked, stabbing her hoof toward the line the offending measurement was printed on in the open cookbook.

"Five milliliters," Pinkie said as she plopped down a large metal bowl. Her sudden reappearance caused Luna and Twilight to jump away from one another. Pinkie didn't seem to notice their movement as she dumped several measuring cups, spoons, and other cooking instruments with a clatter on the counter.

"What?" Twilight asked confusedly, a delicate blush on her cheeks. Luna could feel a matching blush on her own.

"A smidge, it's five milliliters. A pinch is two point five," Pinkie explained. "If you have any more questions, don't be afraid to ask. This order is super duper important to Mr. and Mrs. Cake, so I need to make as many batches as possible, so I won't be able to help you guys too much."

Twilight exchanged a nervous glance with Luna, neither of them entirely comfortable with being given near free reign in the kitchen. Luna the untested cook, and Twilight the pony who apparently had burned down a kitchen. "Are you sure, Pinkie?"

"Yep. I'm sure two super smart ponies like you can get this done in no time at all," Pinkie replied confidently before she turned and retreated to the other side of the kitchen.

Twilight breathed in deeply and seemed a bit more confident than before. "Maybe today is the day that Twilight Sparkle will be able to make something sweet, something edible, something unquestioningly non-sentient."

Luna looked at her quizzically. "Wait, what was that?"

Twilight blushed in embarrassment, and with forced bravado replied, "Never mind. Let's get started. What's the first ingredient on the list?"

Luna turned to the book, and through a dark smudge on the page read off, "Two cups of sugar."

"Hmm. That's simple enough," Twilight commented. She lifted one of the measuring cups up and dipped it into a nearby bag that was slumped against the wall, labeled sugar. She poured the powdery substance into the bowl and asked, "What's next?"

"A cup of butter."

"Butter, butter, butter," Twilight muttered to herself as she looked around the kitchen. "Ah, here's some." Two sticks of butter were wrapped in a purple field of energy and floated through the air and dropped onto the mound of sugar.

"Now it says to cream them," Luna said, reading ahead. She furrowed her brow in confusion. "But does that mean we're supposed to add cream? I don't see a measurement for any cream."

"I think the book is using cream as a verb," Twilight clarified. She picked up a whisk with her magic and began to slowly, inexpertly stir the butter and sugar together. "Which means to beat into a creamy texture. So I think that we're supposed to mix this together until it's … well, creamy."

"Oh." Luna watched Twilight move the sugar-encrusted butter around the bowl, for a few seconds before she hazarded, "You wouldn't by chance read dictionaries for fun? I only ask because that definition sounded as if it came from a reference book."

Twilight blushed under Luna's questioning eyes and the tempo of her whisk hitting against the sides of the metal bowl drastically increased. "Yes. But only when I'm really bored. Or when I've run out of other books, or when I'm taking a break from reading other books. Besides, if I didn't, then how would I have learned words like strabismus?"

"Or antimacassar!" helpfully added Pinkie, who appeared from thin air, causing both Luna and Twilight to jump slightly.

"Pinkie, I didn't see you come over, what are you doing?" Twilight asked, her voice made higher by surprise.

"Baking, duh. I needed to get some eggs, and I thought you'd need some too." Pinkie jiggled her head back and forth, causing a large white egg to pop out of her impressively curly hair and roll down her forehead and off her nose. It flew across the short gap to the bowl, and landed on Twilight's whisk, causing the egg to cleanly break in half, depositing the yolk and white into the mixture.

"Thanks," Twilight said flatly as she levitated the now empty eggshell from the bowl.

"No problem!"

"That was rather impressive, " Luna complimented Pinkie.

"Thanks, it took me forever to learn that trick. Like two whole weeks at least. There were eggs all over the place, which didn't make Mr. and Mrs. Cake too happy. And that's why I'm not allowed near unripe coconuts anymore."

Luna tilted her head, attempting to understand what, if anything, coconuts had to do with the conversation. Meanwhile Pinkie began humming to herself and skipped back across the room to where she was busy with her own bowl.

"Uh oh, we've got a problem," announced Twilight anxiously.

Luna turned to her friend with concern and asked, "What is it?"

Twilight planted a hoof on the cookbook, highlighting the list of ingredients. "It says here that we need two small eggs, and we used one extra large egg instead. We've deviated from the recipe!" Twilight cried as she thrust the remnants of the eggshell at Luna, stamped on the white shell was indeed a label that said "extra large."

"Well, perhaps an extra large egg is equivalent to two small ones."

"But what if it isn't? What if an extra large egg only equals one and a half small eggs? I can't find an egg conversion chart anywhere in this stupid book." A note of panic crept into Twilight's voice as she began to hastily flip through the pages of the cookbook.

Luna was a princess, a ruler, a natural arbiter of policies and procedures, so she was well versed in thinking outside the proverbial box. "What if we take the egg out and start over with two small eggs?"

"We can't," Twilight practically wailed. "I'd already started stirring before I checked the recipe again."

Luna frowned in thought as she wracked her brain for a solution to their problem, but short of using powerful and questionably benign magic, she couldn't seem to find a ready answer. "I suppose that we're going to have to hope for the best, Twilight. That an extra large egg does in fact equal two small eggs."

Twilight seemed pained, and resignedly answered, "I guess." She looked forlornly at the bowl and began to mix the ingredients once more, but with less energy than before. "What's next on the list?"

Luna flipped through the cookbook until she found the recipe again. At least she was pretty sure it was the recipe. It was difficult to tell with all the smudged hoofprints all over the pages. The title definitely had the word cookie in it. Probably.

"A third of a cup of lemon juice." It took a few minutes of searching, but there was a bowl of fruit on display atop one of the bookshelves. Amongst the fruit was a single lemon that Luna retrieved with her magic, floating it down to the counter next to the measuring cup.

However, Luna realized they had a new problem. How were they supposed to get the juice out of the lemon? She poked at the unhelpful fruit with her hoof, causing it to roll over. Not seeing any obvious solution, Luna asked Twilight, "How exactly does one juice a lemon?"

Pinkie called over from her side of the kitchen, "You've got to squeeze it, silly filly."

"Squeeze it?" she asked dubiously while skeptically examining the fruit.

"Yep, like an orange, or a grapefruit, or a turnip."

Luna looked from the lemon to Pinkie's smiling face, and back to the lemon, her skepticism apparent. The fruit didn't appear to be all that malleable, at it occurred to her that Pinkie might be having a joke at her expense. But she picked the lemon back up with her magic and hovered it over the measuring cup, giving it a gentle squeeze with the energy field surrounding it. However, the stubborn fruit refused to give up any of its liquids, so Luna squeezed it a tad bit harder. Still no lemon juice appeared. So Luna increased the pressure, beginning to grow a bit frustrated with the lemon. Soon the lemon had been compacted down to a fraction of its original size. And Luna was glaring at it with outright hatred.

Twilight had stopped stirring, and looked on with concern. "Uh, Luna, did you use a field which completely surrounds the lemon, or did you leave a gap to allow the juice to escape?"

Luna felt like planting her hoof in her face for having made such a foalish mistake. "Thank you, Twilight," she said with a light laugh. "I completely forgot about a release valve. If you hadn't of said something, I probably would have just continued to squeeze until it had collapsed into a singularity."

With a flick of her magic, Luna opened up a small hole in the field around the lemon, and the fruit exploded through it. Thankfully, most of the blast was directed downwards and some of it even managed to make it into the measuring cup. Though a small jet of the stinging juice hit Luna in the eye, causing her to wince at the burning pain and slam her eyelid shut instinctively.

"Wow, unicorn cooking is fun!" Pinkie commented. "I wonder why there aren't that many unicorn chefs. I bet they'd be awesome at those flashy restaurants where they make the food in front of you."

"Pinkie, don't you have your own baking to be doing?" Twilight asked with an unamused tone as she picked a piece of lemon rind off her nose.

"Yep, I was getting some salt, just a pinch." So saying, Pinkie turned back to her own bowl.

Luna blinked several times, trying to flush the stinging juice from her watering eye. Eventually the burn was at a tolerable level, and she wiped away the tear that had fallen down her cheek. She turned her attention to the measuring cup, and noticed that even with the pieces of rind, pulp, and seeds floating around in it, there was still less than a third of a cup of lemon products present. "Twilight, do you see another lemon around? We don't seem to have enough lemon juice."

"Hmm," Twilight vocalized. She quickly looked around, under the counter, on the nearby shelves, in the various cabinets around the room, but came up empty hoofed. "Nope, I don't see any more lemons."

Luna frowned in slight muddlement. Baking was much more difficult than she had expected. "I suppose we'll have to be satisfied with the amount of juice we have, and hope that it's enough."

"No," Twilight stated with conviction. There was a strange light in her eyes as she stared intently at Luna. "We've already made a sacrifice with the amount of eggs listed. We're not going to be short of lemon juice as well. The recipe calls for a third of a cup of juice, it's going to get a third of a cup."

"But there aren't any more lemons," Luna said unsurely. The strange energy that seemed to be running through Twilight was honestly somewhat alarming.

Twilight smiled a crooked and creepy smile as she confidently replied, "Then we'll just have to find a substitute."

She closed her eyes tight and her horn glowed with a surge of power. A moment later and a thick brown glass bottle popped into existence and landed on the counter with a loud thump. "Citric acid and acetic acid are both carboxylic acids, so they should be interchangeable," Twilight commented seemingly to herself. She was completely and somewhat maniacally entranced with the bottle as she unstopped it. A pungent and biting smell assaulted Luna's nose, causing her still irritated eye to water further.

"Are .. are you certain about this, Twilight?" Luna asked hesitantly.

Twilight chuckled darkly before she replied, "We need lemon juice, and this is the closest to it that we can get. When life refuses to give you lemons, you have to make your own." Twilight poured the acrid smelling clear liquid into the measuring cup, and Luna watched as the seeds and detritus of the lemon peel began to dissolve. She cocked an eyebrow at the causticity of the mixture, imagining what it would do to a pony's stomach.

But then she mentally shrugged. Twilight did have more experience with baking. And Pinkie was supervising, in her own way. Luna looked over to where the pink pony was bouncing on her hind legs to music only she could hear while somehow holding a bowl in one hoof and a spoon in the other. Surely she wouldn't let them concoct something dangerous. Besides which, the other ingredients to the recipe would probably dilute the acid.

"Uh oh, I'd better keep stirring. The acid is starting to cook the unmixed parts of the egg," Twilight commented, sounding calmer and more like her normal self. She began to furiously stir the concoction, while Luna turned back to the cookbook and moved on to the next ingredient on the list.

Over the course of the next half hour, they followed the recipe as best they could, but on several occasions the cookbook had demanded ingredients that simply weren't available, and Twilight had made a few more substitutions of dubious edibility. In addition, Luna wasn't sure if they were still making cookies. She was decidedly a novice when it came to baking, but she was fairly certain that there were few cookie recipes which called for tomatoes.

In the end, they had been left with a bowl of purplish-grey sludge which, while quite viscous, managed to bubble ominously. By this point, Luna was sure that they'd made a mess of the recipe.

"Uh, Twilight," she ventured while staring uneasily at the concoction. She was somewhat afraid to take her eyes off of it lest it begin moving in a threatening manner. "Are you quite certain that this is safe to consume?"

Twilight was contemplating the cheerful picture in the cookbook of what the batter was supposed to look like, comparing it to the purple emulsion they'd prepared, dismay apparent on her face. "I'm not sure. But maybe it'll look better once it's cooked" she said with forced optimism.

Luna however was fairly certain that no amount of time in the oven could redeem the fruits of their labor.

"Hey, are you guys done?" Pinkie asked as she bounced over to them excitedly.

Luna continued to eye their creation warily as she dubiously replied, "I believe so." A large bubble slowly formed on the surface of the batter and popped with a sound that Luna could only describe as wetly malevolent.

"Yay!" Pinkie cried out ecstatically and threw two hooffuls of confetti into the air. "Now it's time for my favorite part, licking the spoon. Well, it's not really my favorite part, but it is my favorite part of this part. Really they're all my favorite parts." As she babbled, Pinkie squeezed past Luna and picked up the wooden spoon that Twilight had traded the whisk for when the batter had become too thick. Luna was still unsure how she was using spoons with her hoofs. She lifted up her own hoof and looked down at it, but it appeared as it always did, completely unsuitable for wrapping around and holding something as narrow as a spoon handle. Perhaps there was some sort of earth pony magic at work here.

Pinkie leaned over the counter and stirred the thick mixture a few times before she pulled the spoon back out to reveal that the portion which had been in the batter had for the most part disappeared. The remnants were blackened and crooked, resembling a used matchstick.

Luna frowned in confusion at the odd sight. The mixture was undoubtedly low on the ph scale from all the acids they'd been forced to include, but it couldn't be so toxic that it could destroy a wooden spoon that quickly, could it? Not to mention that Twilight had just been using that same exact spoon only moments before, and other than a thick patina of the vile sludge coating it, it had been undamaged. The batter surely couldn't have become that caustic in such a short time.

"Ooooh, this looks like a good batch," Pinkie commented appreciatively. She tossed the remainder of the spoon over her shoulder, and from somewhere produced another large wooden spoon identical to the one that had been destroyed. This time however, when Pinkie dipped it into the batter, it suffered no ill effects as she stirred the concoction a few times before lifting out a spoonful of the grey substance.

"Uh, Pinkie, maybe you shouldn't try it," hazarded Twilight. "I mean, we followed the recipe, mostly, but still, that doesn't look like it could possibly taste good."

"Don't worry, Twilight, I'm sure it tastes fine." Pinkie assured her friend as she continued to slowly lift the spoon to her lips.

While Luna was as concerned as Twilight for Pinkie's safety, she had an equally important question that needed answering. "Wait a moment. Why did the previous spoon wither away, but this one appear unaffected by the cookie batter?" She pointed an accusing hoof at the offending utensil.

"Because that was the stirring spoon and this is the tasting spoon, of course. How could you taste test something if the spoon dissolves?" Pinkie explained patiently.

That only raised further questions in Luna's mind. But before she could ask them, Pinkie lifted up the spoon, and as Twilight put out a restraining hoof and fearfully said, "Pinkie, I don't think –" the pink pony stuck out her tongue and licked the spoon clean.

Twilight fell silent and slowly lowered her hoof as she and Luna looked on uncertainly, concerned frowns marring their expressions. For a brief moment, Pinkie appeared fine, although she did seem frozen to the spot.

Without warning, her curly mane shot out in all directions away from her head and neck in jagged spikes, while her teeth audibly gritted together in one of the most painful grimaces Luna had ever witnessed. Her eyes unfocused and seemed to drift in different directions, and her entire body began to not so much shake as violently vibrate in place. Luna was terrified that Pinkie was having a seizure or a stroke, that her and Twilight's actions had unwittingly harmed or even killed their friend.

"Pinkie, are you alright?" Twilight anxiously asked. She took a few hesitant steps forward, but Pinkie abruptly stood stock still. Her hair fell back into its normal springy curls, and her painful grimace had transformed into a beaming smile that she focused on Twilight.

"It tastes like magenta," Pinkie cheerfully informed them.

Twilight sighed a deep sigh of relief, which echoed Luna's own joy at not being responsible for having irreparably harmed one of her newfound friends.

Pinkie raised her hoof to her chin and tapped it in a thoughtful manner. "Hmm, it needs something though … Oh, I know!" She ducked down under the counter and straightened up a moment later, a large scoop clamped between her teeth. "Some baking soda to help it rise," she said through her clenched teeth.

"Sodium bicarbonate," Twilight murmured softly to herself while tilting her head as if trying to remember something. Suddenly her eyes widened in panic and she cried out, "Pinkie, no!"

But it was already too late. As Twilight spoke, Pinkie had tilted her head and a generous helping of white powder cascaded into the bowl below.

Luna wasn't sure what the consequences of adding baking soda would be, but judging from Twilight's body language, it was unlikely they were going to be pleasant. Time seemed to slow down as the innocuous powder clumped into a mound in the middle of the batter. For the length of a heartbeat, Luna held out the hope that whatever Twilight expected to happen wouldn't materialize.

But then a frighteningly loud concussion caused Luna to instinctively close her eyes and fold her ears back. When she dared to open them, she found that her ears were ringing, and that the mixing bowl had disappeared. The batter it once held had been spread across seemingly every area of the kitchen. It looked like Pinkie had been right about the baking soda though, the batter that was splattered across every visible surface was no longer a sickly grey, but bright, a vibrant magenta.

Speaking of Pinkie Pie, she was still standing in front of where the bowl once sat, its scorched outline clearly visible on the counter, the remains of the scoop still clenched in a grin that seemed even larger than before. She was covered head to hoof in the bright magenta mixture, and her mane had been blown back into a straight shock of hair shooting out from the back of her head.

Twilight was nearby, but not quite as covered by the batter as Pinkie was. However there were thick clumps of it slowly dripping from her bangs as she leveled an unamused glare at the earth pony. Luna could feel some of the warm, wet mixture covering herself as well, though she had been partially protected from the splatter by Twilight's body. Her eyes crossed as she focused on a glob that had covered her nose. Without thinking of the repercussions, Luna swiped the batter off with her tongue, managing to get most of it. Truthfully it didn't taste too bad, a bit salty perhaps.

"Boy, that really was a good batch," Pinkie said, breaking the silence that had fallen over them and letting the abused scoop fall to the floor. "Did you guys see that explosion? It was sooo cool. We should totally try that again for the next party we have. We can make a lot of batches with different colors, and we can call them 'surprise cupcakes,' and they can literally explode with flavor! We wouldn't even have to decorate for the party because they'd do all the decorating for us!"

Twilight was on the verge of replying, and Luna could tell that that she was upset by the way she was clenching her teeth. But before she could express her feelings for Pinkie's idea, a worried voice called out from the main store, "Are you girls alright? I heard a …" Mrs. Cake trailed off as she appeared in the doorway, taking in the devastated kitchen. Her eyes traveled across the still beaming Pinkie, the upset Twilight, and the wide-eyed panicked but apologetic Luna, finally resting on the ceiling. Luna followed her gaze and found an irregularly shaped hole there that was probably new since it was right over where the mixing bowl once was. Mrs. Cake sighed heavily and with resignation said, "Just make sure you clean up, Pinkie."

Pinkie regarded her employer with a serious expression, as serious as a pony could be covered in magenta cookie batter, and declared, "Yes sir-e bob, Mrs. Cake. We'll have this place spotless by the time the cookies are done!"

Mrs. Cake smiled faintly and replied, "That's nice dearie." As she turned away, she shook her head, and Luna thought that she could hear the matronly pony quietly talk to herself.

Luna sincerely hoped that her attempt at cooking hadn't just strained the relationship between Pinkie Pie and Mrs. Cake. "Pinkie, I'm so sorry that we caused such a monumental disaster. Is there any way I can make it up to you?"

As Luna spoke, Pinkie opened a drawer, removed a kitchen towel, and began to remove the worst of the batter splatter from her. Breezily she answered, "Usually I don't get the kitchen this dirty until after lunch, so you shouldn't feel bad. If you think about it, we're ahead of schedule. And the first batch of cookies is done."

A bell chimed near the stove, and Pinkie went over and opened the oven's door. She picked up a potholder with her mouth, then removed a sheet of perfectly baked cookies from the oven. After setting the sheet down, she gazed at the golden cookies in rapt adoration. "Oh man, those look sooooo good. But I can't have one," she said sadly, turning around to Twilight and Luna. "They're still way too hot." Her mood lifted as she walked over to a nearby drawer and began to rummage around in it. "I remember the first time I tried to eat a cookie right out of the oven, and I burned my tongue on the cookie sheet. It left this really neat scar. Wanna see?" she asked brightly.

"Uh, no thanks, Pinkie," Twilight replied. "I think we should go get cleaned up now, right Luna?"

Luna, who was being pushed toward the door by Twilight, decided to agree. "Yes, I suppose so."

"Okay, I'll keep on baking , you guys get to bathing."

Twilight let Luna walk under her own power once they were out of the kitchen, passing by her to lead the way to the stair ascending to the second floor. Luna smiled nervously at Mrs. Cake as they passed, fully aware of what a sight the two batter covered ponies must present. But Mrs. Cake simply smiled kindly and a bit pityingly in response.

They quickly climbed the stairs and entered a bedroom which seemed surprisingly normal compared to what Luna had imagined Pinkie's tastes would have tended to. Not that she had much time to examine the décor beyond a cursory inspection of the comfortable bed, the sturdy, well used furniture, the brand new hole in the floor, and the clump of magenta stuck fast to the ceiling above it. Without pausing, Twilight continued through another door and Luna followed after. She found herself in a relatively large bathroom, with a bathtub much larger than the one back at the library.

"I'll run the bath, you see if you can find some washcloths, or maybe some brushes." Twilight lifted her foreleg to better display a large patch of magenta. "I'm not sure just how adhesive this stuff is, but I want it off me as soon as possible." Twilight seemed to recollect who exactly she was speaking to, and she hastily put her hoof down. She looked over at Luna almost fearfully. "That is, if you don't mind, Luna."

Luna smiled disarmingly at her friend. "Of course not, Twilight."

Twilight smiled warmly in response, then purposefully approached the bathtub. Meanwhile, Luna began to hunt amongst the nearby cabinets and shelves for the proper bathing accessories. Soon the sound of running water filled the room, followed shortly afterward by a few tendrils of steam. While the tub filled, Luna discovered a stack of washcloths, all of which were pink with little yellow ducks embossed near the corners. Nearby she also found a long handled scrubbing brush, which also had a cute young little duck pictured on the handle.

Charmed by the somewhat juvenile decorations, Luna selected a few of the cloths as well as the brush and floated them back over to the tub where Twilight was waiting.

"I located a few washcloths and a brush," Luna informed her, freezing them in the air next to the bathtub.

"Good. I found the soap." Twilight brandished several bars of soap and levitated them over to the washcloths and brush. They were bright yellow, and Luna noticed that they had the outlines of ducks stamped into them.

Her curiosity piqued, Luna asked, "Twilight, does Pinkie have a particular fondness for ducks?"

Twilight lifted a questioning eyebrow in confusion and replied, "No, I don't think so. At least not more than anypony else. Why?"

"Oh, no reason. I was just curious about why everything seems to be decorated with ducks."

Twilight shrugged her shoulders noncommittally. "Huh, I hadn't noticed."

The gurgling of the water as it inched ever closer to the top of the tub occupied both ponies as their conversation languished into nonexistence.

"It'll be nice to clean this stuff off," Twilight commented, finally breaking the silence as she wiped a trickle of the gooey batter from her forehead. "It's starting to get cold and sticky. I hope it doesn't stain." She fretfully began to run her hoof through her mane, checking for any indication of discoloration.

"I'm sure if it does, Rarity wouldn't mind dying us our proper colors."

Twilight shot a flat glare at Luna. "I'm never trusting Rarity with dying my coat or mane ever again. Not even if there is a first-time buyer discount."

Luna's eyebrows lifted in surprise. Obviously there was an interesting story to be told about a previous misadventure in mane coloration. But it was also equally obvious from her expression and tone, that Twilight wasn't going to be the pony to tell Luna about it.

Without any further comment, Twilight turned her attention back to the tub and firmly closed the tap. Tendrils of steam rose from the mostly still water, with only a few ripples spreading out across the surface.

"Well, shall we get in?" Twilight invited, inclining her head toward the bath, wearing a nervous smile.

Luna was flabbergasted for a moment, and she quickly glanced back and forth between the warm water and Twilight. The tub was significantly larger than twilight's, and could easily accommodate both ponies. But the thought of bathing together hadn't crossed Luna's mind until that moment.

Her silence had lasted too long, and Twilight's smile had faltered. "Or we could take turns again. You can go first. I don't mind waiting."

It was obvious to Luna that Twilight was bravely trying to hide her disappointment. Just a few minutes previously it had been equally obvious to her how much Twilight had been looking forward to getting clean. And though she'd never bathed with anypony other than Celestia, really, what was strange about two friends bathing together?

Assuming a smile that hopefully belied the nervous flitter of apprehension she felt, Luna replied, "Oh no, it's fine. We can bathe together. We wouldn't want the water to get cold."

And it would be alright. After all, it wasn't as if they had to disrobe in front of each other to bathe. They were usually nude. A fact which hadn't occurred to Luna much before she'd come to stay with Twilight, though it had been swimming to the forefront of her mind from time to time increasingly of late.

In addition, they were friends, good friends. And friends did things together like this all the time.

Twilight climbed into the tub while Luna averted her eyes for some reason she couldn't name. Then she gingerly maneuvered over the lip of the tub herself. Once in the water, Luna sunk down into it as far as she was able, discretely keeping a wide swath between her and Twilight.

She pretended as if nothing out of the ordinary were happening. As if she bathed with other ponies every day, and selected a few of the washcloths, as well as a couple of bars of soap. Soon she was working up a pleasant smelling lather. Luna was simply taking a normal bath. There just happened to be another pony in it with her. A pony who she respected, and who she cared for, as a friend. A pony who was making rather distracting splashes at the other end of the tub, sending gently undulating waves of warmth in Luna's direction. However, Luna studiously ignored Twilight's gentle splashing, as she intently concentrated on scrubbing herself clean.

Luna began to feel comfortable with the situation, going so far as to dunk her head into the bath in order to clean out the last of the cookie dough from her mane. She'd just surfaced, sending out a wave of water in all directions, when a wretched voice spoke up, "I'm sorry."

Surprised by the raw emotion in Twilight's voice, Luna forgot to not look over at her friend.

Twilight was a beautiful pony no matter the circumstances. But with her mane sinuously slicked down, and with the bath water giving her coat a shimmering gleam highlighted by the shadowy light coming from the window, she appeared almost otherworldly. Even in the dimly illuminated bathroom, the glistening drops of water in her mane caught what little light there was, transforming into bright diamonds that accentuated her innate beauty. Suddenly Luna knew why ponies wished for such outlandish outfits as she'd seen in Rarity's shop. It was so they could have a fraction of this effect. For a moment, the thoughts were driven from Luna's mind, and she forgot everything but the light playing upon Twilight's glistening form.

However, Twilight's morose frown and beseeching eyes recalled Luna from the abstract appreciation she'd drifted into. "Sorry? Sorry for what?" She belatedly asked. Quickly she began to cast about for a place to rest her eyes that wasn't quite so distracting. She eventually settled on a spot of cookie dough still on Twilight's cheek, just below her eye.

"I'm sorry for messing everything up. I knew I shouldn't have tried baking again. I always do something wrong whenever I try." She said self admonishingly.

"It wasn't really your fault, Twilight. We both were to blame. We stopped following the recipe, then things got out of hoof, and then … well, nopony was hurt, and that's the important thing." Luna stated, her friend's obvious dejection emboldening her to close the gap between them and put a comforting hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

"But it's just so frustrating!" Twilight cried, throwing her hooves up to reflect her frustration, accidentally knocking Luna's hoof aside and splashing her with a rather vigorous spray of water. "I should be good at this. I've studied dozens of cookbooks. I've read all the biographies of the greatest chefs and culinary groundbreakers in Equestrian history. I know every facet of the evolution of the modern pony meal, but I can't bake a stupid batch of cookies!" She growled and furiously rubbed her head, musing her mane, before she flung out her hooves and dramatically cried to the world in general, "Why can't I bake a stupid cookie?"

Luna thought she heard a distant thump and Pinkie's muffled voice, but ignored it as she used her hoof to brush her bangs from her eyes where they'd fallen following Twilight's last wet outburst. "Well, how often do you practice baking?"

"Practice?" Twilight lowered her hooves and regarded Luna quizzically. "I don't have time to bake. I'm usually far too busy studying, so I pick something up, or get Spike to make it."

"Well, perhaps that's the problem. Maybe you simply need more experience actually baking and you will improve. Like if you picked up a musical instrument. All the knowledge in Equestria wouldn't make you a good player unless you practiced."

Twilight cut her eyes away and grumbled, "Yeah, I'm not too good with musical instruments either."

Luna looked down into the depths of the bath water sadly and shifted her weight. "Anyway, I'm just as culpable as you. I'm sure that Pinkie Pie meant well when she invited us to help, but it was apparent that you felt cooking wasn't your forte. I should have respected your opinion. Especially since it turns out that it isn't my forte either. Perhaps even less so, since I lack even your understanding of the culinary arts. That actually was my first time attempting to bake anything."

Luna's heart fluttered when she felt the water shift as Twilight leaned over and gently nuzzled her cheek, drawing her back out of her funk.

"I guess we should both practice our baking then and get better," Twilight softly said into Luna's ear before pulling back a little from the now blushing princess. A blush rose on her cheeks as well, while she looked away from Luna's unconsciously sultry eyes. "So, that was your first time?" She asked breathlessly.

Thankful for the change in topic, Luna admitted, "Yes it was. And despite how it ended, I'm glad that my first time was with you." She smiled at Twilight, and couldn't help but notice that the spot of batter on her cheek was still there, and just how close their faces were. She could practically feel Twilight's soft breath on her nose.

Twilight glanced up at Luna shyly. "Well, I'm honored that your first time was with me, too."

Her earnest gaze accentuated Twilight's inner beauty, and acting on impulse, Luna leaned forward to remove the one spot of imperfection. With a deft and tender swipe of her tongue, she licked the errant bit of batter from Twilight's cheek. It was sweeter than when she'd sampled it before, but that might just have been due to Twilight's natural flavor.

As she pulled back, Luna met Twilight's shocked and confused eyes. The poor unicorn's face was flushed dark red. "There was some cookie dough on your cheek," Luna explained.

Twilight raised her hoof up to where Luna had licked her, still apparently stunned. "I … oh. Uh, thanks," she awkwardly stammered out.

Luna hoped that she hadn't overstepped her bounds as a friend. Perhaps she'd inadvertently stumbled into impropriety. If so, then most likely the best course of action would be to quickly move on and pretend that the friendly lick hadn't happened.

"Well, I feel remarkably clean, so I believe that's enough bathing for me." Luna began to climb out of the tub, picking up a couple of nearby fluffy, duck covered towels with her magic.

"Yes, that's a good idea," Twilight hastily agreed. "We should definitely get out of the bath and go see what Pinkie's doing. She's probably wondering what's taking us so long," Twilight rambled a bit as she literally leapt from the tub toward the other side of the room, away from Luna.

Luna had paused to watch Twilight's frantic actions as the unicorn began to vigorously rub herself dry. With a barely audible sigh, Luna lifted herself out of the bath. However, she noticed that her tail was weighed down with something heavier than mere water. She swished her tail, and turned her head to get a better look at her rear, and found a small green reptile latched onto the end of her tail.

Considering the circumstances, Luna thought that she handled the situation quite well. She jumped into the air, her horn brushing the ceiling, and swung her rear hard enough to hurl the offending creature off her tail and across the room. Just before it slammed into the wall at an assuredly terminal velocity, it was plucked from the air by a familiar magical aura.

"It's alright, Luna, please calm down," Twilight pleaded as she lowered the green animal onto a stack of towels. Luna noted that its beady eyes asymmetrically blinked, seemingly unperturbed by its harsh treatment. She was still hovering near the ceiling, reluctant to alight and discover what other creatures might be lurking in the bathroom.

"It's just Gummy, Pinkie's pet alligator. Nothing to scream about. He doesn't have any teeth, so he's perfectly harmless," Twilight explained as she cautiously approached the still spooked Luna.

Luna hadn't screamed. Much. And it was perfectly normal for anypony in her situation to give out a dignified yelp of alarm. She was however mollified by Twilight's tone, and began to descend, careful to keep Twilight between her and that creature. "An alligator? What pony in their right mind would keep an alligator as a pet?" she demanded.

Twilight shrugged her shoulders. "Well, she is Pinkie," she said, as if that simple statement explained everything. And perhaps it did. "Luna do you … not like reptiles?" Twilight asked, turning her head to ask the alicorn who was narrowly watching Gummy over Twilight's withers.

"Who does?" Luna asked rhetorically while frowning in distaste and suspicion at the deceptively small alligator. "Who can tell what those cold blooded creatures are ever thinking?" The alligator again blinked one eye, then the other, its expression unchanging otherwise. It could be contemplating lunch, or it could be plotting the demise of all ponies in Equestria, starting with Twilight and herself.

"Don't worry, Luna, I'll protect you from the big, mean alligator," Twilight condescendingly promised with a role of her eyes.

Her pride bruised by Twilight's playful verbal jab, Luna stood up straighter and stopped cowering behind the other pony. She feigned disinterest in whatever reptilian activities the alligator was engaging in as she haughtily replied, "Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. I'm sure that your services will be adequate. And rest assured, when we come across something that frightens you, I'll protect you as well."

Twilight thought for a moment before offering, "Well, I don't really like snakes."

Luna energetically pointed a hoof at Twilight and triumphantly exclaimed, "You see! Even you dislike reptiles. They can't be trusted. Even ones as seemingly innocent as …" Luna swung her hoof to point at the spot where Gummy had been, but his perch atop the towels was vacant.

"Where did it go?" Luna asked with a shade of panic tingeing her voice. She stood on tip-hoof, ready to take off once again, as she hastily scanned the room for signs of the green menace.

"I'm sure he just got tired of being around a new pony and went back to wherever he sleeps," Twilight reassured Luna.

"Yes, you must be correct, undoubtedly." Luna continued to scan the room discretely, falsely agreeing to Twilight's naive assessment of the situation in an attempt to lull the alligator into a small sense of security. If it believed it had won this round, it would likely be less anxious to go on the offensive. "But we should get back downstairs anyway," she said to hasten Twilight.

The two ponies quickly finished drying off, then drained the bathtub and cleaned the spilled bath water. As they headed downstairs, they carefully avoided the hole in the floor, as well as the ominous lump of magenta on the ceiling above it, and Luna continued to keep an eye out for the diminutive alligator.

Mrs. Cake was no longer behind the counter as they walked through the store. There were the sounds of loud stamping and wet cloth being removed, accompanied by the quiet murmur of pony voices coming from an area of the shop that Luna hadn't been in yet. Likely Mr. Cake had returned, and Mrs. Cake had gone to help him out of his cart and clothes.

Inside the kitchen, Pinkie was happily humming as she pulled a final sheet of cookies from the oven and set it on a clean area of the counter. She expertly wielded a spatula and with a finesse Luna had to admire, transferring the cookies to a nearby cooling rack where dozens of identical cookies already waited.

"There you two are," Pinkie greeted them as soon as she'd spit the potholder out. "I was wondering what you two were up to when I heard that scream." Luna blushed and looked away. She hadn't really screamed, it had been a shout at most. "But I was in the middle of putting this last batch in the oven, and besides it didn't sound like the bad kind of scream, so I decided to leave you two alone in case it was the good kind of scream. Because I know when I scream, I don't like to be interrupted, unless it's a good kind of interruption, or if it's the bad kind of scream where somepony's chasing you because they don't want be friends or something."

Twilight seemed much more capable of withstanding the deluge words from Pinkie, and obviously ignored the entirety of what she just had said.

With casual curiosity, she asked, "Pinkie, how'd you get clean?"

Her attention called to it by Twilight, Luna noticed that while the kitchen was still in shambles, Pinkie herself was spotless, which was odd considering that she'd borne the brunt of the batter explosion.

"Why? Am I not supposed to be?" Pinkie reached out a hoof and scooped up some of the stickily congealed magenta goo from the wall and flung it into her own face. "Is that better?"

"No, what I meant was …"

Pinkie picked up another hoofful and smeared it in her hair. "How about now?"

Twilight shook her head in exasperation and tiredly replied, "It's fine, Pinkie. Anyway, all the cookies are finished for Starlight's party?"

"Yep, all baked or accounted for. They just need to cool, and then Mrs. Cake can decorate them. I wish I could help her, but Ponyville ordinance 11 subsection 1 says I can't decorate cookies, even with adult supervision."

Luna could see that Twilight was itching to ask Pinkie about the particulars of why they'd made a law against her decorating a baked good, but Luna had come to realize that when it came to Pinkie, on occasion ignorance might be bliss. Unless of course you were willing to be confused and led around in circular conversation. With that in mind, she looked around for something to steer the conversation in a new direction, and noticed through a nearby window that the rain was merely pattering against the pane instead of its earlier pounding.

"It appears the storm is lessening," she observed.

Pinkie bounced as she eagerly replied, "Yep. I had a nose twitch and an ear flinch a few minutes ago, so the rain should be over in an hour. Give or take a leg shake."

"Well, while we wait for the rain to let up, we'll help you clean up, right Luna?" Twilight said.

"Of course."

Pinkie Pie appeared genuinely touched. So much so that she stood still and looked tenderly at Twilight and Luna. "Aw, you guys don't have to. I'm used to cleaning up the whole store all by myself."

"We insist," replied Luna firmly. "After all, it was our actions which caused this mess, so it is our responsibility to clean it up."

"That's right," Twilight backed up Luna, stepping closer to her to show her solidarity.

"Well, if you guys want to," Pinkie sprung across the room and threw open a cabinet revealing several kitchen towels and other cleaning supplies. "Then let's clean!"

In a few minutes, all three ponies were cleaning the kitchen in earnest. Luna found that it wasn't all that difficult, merely time consuming. The batter had landed in the strangest places it seemed, and it was somewhat challenging hunting down every globule and splatter.

At first Luna had carefully emulated Twilight, gingerly picking up a kitchen towel and dampening it in the sink, then carefully squeezing out the excess moisture. The damp cloth then was able to wipe away several globs of cookie batter before having to be rinsed out once more. She did everything slowly and with exaggerated care, using only the barest whisper of her magic. Her previous attempts at dealing with household chores hadn't ended all that well, and she'd experienced enough explosions for the day already.

However, as she grew more comfortable with the mechanics of cleaning, Luna became confident enough to control nearly a dozen of the kitchen towels at the same time. She would have attempted more, but between her dozen and the four Twilight had claimed, they'd exhausted the supply in the cabinet. Luna did find it a bit difficult to focus her attention in twelve different directions; she was a bit out of practice. But if a few of her washcloths sat idle for a few minutes, or doubled up on one particular spot, neither Twilight nor Pinkie commented on it.

Pinkie was happily humming to herself as she cleaned the floors, holding down a damp towel with her forehooves and leaning on it as she ran back and forth across the kitchen. She had claimed the floor and the lower parts of the counters, while Luna was responsible for the tops of the counters and the walls, and Twilight focused on the ceiling.

They worked in companionable silence for several minutes until Pinkie's energetic humming burst into song.

"Oh you gotta clean, clean until it gleams.

And while you clean you gotta sing

Clean, clean everything, who knows what you'll find

Just scrub, brush, and wipe, don't sit there and gripe

But clean till everything shines

Just sing and you'll be done in no time!"

Luna wasn't sure of the veracity of Pinkie's song, but with the three of them cleaning together, soon the kitchen was cleaner than it had been when they'd arrived.

Unfortunately, Twilight wasn't as clean as the kitchen. There had been quite a lot of batter on the ceiling, and while she'd cleaned it, some of it had fallen, covering her head and back in a spattering of magenta.

As she and Luna were wringing out the last of the damp kitchen towels, Twilight craned her neck to examine her back. "Great, I need another bath," she observed unenthusiastically, with her eyes narrowed and her ears flat.

Luna was loath to return to the alligator infested bathroom, and had been careful to avoid dirtying her coat again. However, out of friendly obligation, she offered, "I could go with you if you like."

Twilight smiled at her with wan appreciation. "Thanks, but I'll just go rinse off real quick. There's no reason for both of us to go up, I'll be done in a few minutes. While I'm up there, I'll take care of that spot of batter too."

"Alright, then," Luna replied with gratitude evident in her voice.

Twilight walked across the kitchen and disappeared through the doorway. When she was out of sight, Luna let out an involuntary sigh.

"You know, you need to tell her," Pinkie remarked.

Luna jumped a bit at how close the earth pony had gotten to her without her noticing. Caught flat hoofed and with her heart racing, Luna blurted out, "Tell her? Tell her what?"

With a serious tone Luna felt was ill suited for the bubbly pink pony, Pinkie replied, "Whatever it is you need to tell her. Some secrets are meant to be kept, but others are meant to be told. Losing a friend's trust is the fastest way to lose a friend forever. I know that Twilight likes you, so I'm sure that whatever it is you need to tell her, she'll be able to handle it."

Pinkie looked at Luna with sad compassion. "But if you wait too long, then it might be harder for her to forgive you, and you might lose her, forever. I know how hard it is to tell somepony something awful." Pinkie reached up and put a comforting hoof on Luna's shoulder. "Just remember, we're your friends too, and we'll stand by you no matter what."

Her eyes took on their usual mischievous glint, and the warmth returned to her voice as she continued, "Unless you deliberately hurt Twilight, or you turn into Queen Meanie again, or unless you start canceling holidays and stop giving us reasons to party. But other than that, I'll always be there for you. Except when I can't thanks to that darn party exclusion rule. You should really get around to fixing that. I mean you control pretty much everything right? So I bet you can bend the laws of physics to make them a bit more fun if you really want to."

Pinkie launched into a tirade of other natural laws that could be bent to make the world a more interesting place, but Luna's thoughts drifted away from Pinkie's monologue. She was deeply touched by Pinkie's support, as well as her sage advice, even if it was wrapped in inane commentary. Luna eyed the hyperactive pink pony with a new appreciation. Underneath the bubbly and gregarious clown was a pony with unplumbed depths.

By the time that Twilight came back downstairs however, Luna was beginning to question her earlier assessment.

"… so with all that gravity, we could make the most super-duper-tastic waterslide ever. EVER!" Pinkie declared as she shook an unresponsive Luna who had taken a seat on the kitchen's floor.

Her unamused face greeted the refreshed Twilight, and the unicorn was quick to loudly say with exaggerated cheer, "Well, it looks like the rain's stopped, so I guess we'll be going, Pinkie."

"Awww, do you have to?" Pinkie asked, still hanging off of Luna.

"Yep, we only came for breakfast, and we should really be getting back to the library." Twilight used her magic to lift Pinkie up and off of Luna, setting her down a few feet away.

"Oh well. I guess if you have to go, you have to go," Pinkie stated. "Bye Luna, bye Twilight."

Luna stood up and faced Pinkie. "Goodbye, Pinkie Pie. This was a … unforgettable morning. Thank you."

Pinkie leapt across the room and tackled Luna in a hug. "Aw it was fun for me too. Feel free to come back anytime."

With a hesitant smile, unsure of just how much Pinkie Pie she could handle, Luna extricated herself from the other pony's grip and quickly left the kitchen. As she and Twilight walked through the store, they passed by Mr. and Mrs. Cake who were busy putting away the now empty sheets that had been in Mr. Cake's cart earlier.

"Goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Cake, thank you for having me," Luna called out to them.

"Anytime, dearie," Mrs. Cake called back with a smile and a wave of her hoof.

"Don't forget to tell your friends about us," Mr. Cake added.

As they left through the door, Luna murmured, "I think they all already know."

Twilight bumped Luna and Luna turned to see a playful smile on her face. "Surely you have more friends than the ones in Ponyville."

Luna pretended to think for a moment before she saucily replied, "Maybe one or two. And don't call me Shirley." The joke was as old as she was and caused Twilight to groan. But they shared a good-natured chuckle at just how bad the joke had been.

As they stepped into the street, the mood turned a bit somber though as they looked up to the sky, which was still a ceiling of near featureless grey. The spent storm clouds continued to hover thickly over Ponyville. Luna and Twilight paused on the doorstep of Sugar Cube Corner, neither of them anxious to step into the puddle strewn quagmire the streets had become.

"That was certainly a torrential downpour," Luna observed.

"Yeah, but I wonder where the weather ponies are," Twilight replied, scanning the sky above. "They should be up there clearing away the clouds so the sun can start drying all this out."

Luna raised her eyes to the heavens to try and catch a glimpse of winged ponies overhead, but it was difficult to pick them out amongst the dark clouds. After searching for a few moments, she noticed a ribbon of rainbow darting from cloud to cloud, marking a circuitous route from the edge of the storm to its center. Before she could point it out to Twilight, Rainbow Dash had swooped down from the dense clouds and effortlessly alighted only a few feet away from them.

"Hey Twilight, hey Night-I mean, uh, Luna," she greeted them, as she pushed up the goggles she was wearing to rest on her forehead. Her multihued mane was slicked back and her coat was covered in perspiration or moisture from the clouds. With a small but satisfied groan, she stretched first one wing, then the other, continuing to slowly flap them asymmetrically as she spoke. "Man, I love to fly and all, but I've been going at it since before the sun came up today."

"I didn't think you woke up that early," Twilight quipped.

Rainbow Dash was oblivious to Twilight's tone as she turned her head to preen one of her wings for a few seconds. When the feathers were back in their rightful place, she turned back and hotly replied, "I don't. But Cloud Kicker, Drizzle, and Sunburst all reported in sick today, so we were underponied for this storm. The rest of us had to pick up the slack, and it wasn't easy, let me tell ya. I've been on perimeter duty all day, keeping the edge of the storm clean. You know what it's like trying to keep the anvil squished down while getting hit by downbursts all the time?"

Twilight blinked in slight astonishment as she replied, "I can't say that I do."

Rainbow Dash walked over and lightly poked Twilight in the chest with her hoof to drive home her point. "Well, it's not fun. In fact it's pretty dangerous. You're supposed to have three ponies in a lasso formation to keep control of the perimeter for a storm this size. I was able to pull it off solo only because I'm such an awesome flier. If it had been anypony else …" Rainbow Dash whistled as she lowered her hoof shaking from side to side before slamming it on the ground, "Splat!" She kicked up a splash of mud, which coated her hoof, and Rainbow Dash gingerly tried to shake it off.

Clearly unimpressed by her friend's boasting, Twilight asked, "So are the clouds going to be cleared away soon, or is it going to be overcast all day?"

Rainbow Dash gave up on trying to shake the dirt off her hoof. "Actually, the clouds were supposed to be cleared by now, but we had some nasty wind currents from the Everfree Forest the last couple of hours, and all the weather ponies are beat from trying to keep everything under control. So we're taking a break for a bit, and I'm here to get something sugary to keep me going. After that, I'll clear the sky, and then, it's nap time."

Rainbow Dash took a few steps past them toward Sugar Cube Corner when Luna asked Twilight, "Those clouds seem quite dense and far too difficult to be managed by just one pony. Do you think Pink Gin's spell of transparence could be used to clear away some of the cloud cover?"

Twilight considered for a brief moment. "Well, Pink Gin's spells were developed for fluids, so they should work on clouds. But I think that Mint Julep's dissipating spell would probably work better. Although it does take longer to cast."

"Oh, I'm not familiar with Mint –"

Rainbow Dash turned around and pushed herself between Luna and Twilight. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you guys talking about using magic on those clouds? On my clouds? No way! It'll be a sunny day in Seaddle before a pegasus' job gets done by a unicorn, or an alicorn, or a whatever-icorn."

"Dash, we just want to help," Twilight replied, backing away slightly as Dash began to hover and infringe upon Twilight's airspace.

Rainbow Dash swooped back and forth between Twilight and Luna and confidently declared, "When it comes to weather, there's no magic that can beat a pair of pegasus wings. Watch this!"

Luna expected Rainbow Dash to bolt off into the sky. But instead she almost leisurely flew up to the clouds, kicking out her legs as if she were trotting on thin air. Once she was in the clouds, Luna lost sight of Rainbow Dash, but after a few short seconds, a streaming rainbow streaked out of the cloud cover. It banked sharply, causing a flash of light, and a few of the lower hanging clouds exploded into water vapor.

Rainbow Dash paused and checked to make sure they were watching, then launched into a series of high speed, complex maneuvers that simply defied description. They produced a shockwave with lightning bolts bursting from it , clearing a large fraction of the remaining clouds. Luna could feel her jaw drop from the display of aerial acumen and maneuverability.

Dash then began to fly between the remaining clouds at high speed, slaloming between some, and grabbing others while she flew around them, causing them to spin like fluffy tops. As she darted amongst the dizzily moving clouds, Rainbow Dash began to energetically buck them. For the next few minutes, the sky was filled with a whirling tempest of spinning clouds, bouncing off one another, being split asunder by a streak of rainbow and an expertly placed azure hoof.

Quite soon Celestia's sun was once more shining happily down upon Ponyville. The sky was clear save for a hoofful of pegasi who flew around in a dizzy and disorganized manner, unexpectedly upset from their resting places by Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash sedately descended, and though she was obviously out of breath, with a cocky smile she asked them, "How was that?"

"It was amazing," Luna said, her voice full of admiration. "Your movements were so deft, so precise, yet so fleet."

Rainbow Dash rubbed a hoof against her chest and nonchalantly examined it. "Heh, yeah. I'm awesome."

Twilight rolled her eyes before she tartly replied, "It wasn't exactly ten seconds flat this time, was it?"

"Hey, sometimes it's not all about speed. Sometimes an artist has to take her time. Did you see my Fantastic Filly Flash, or my Buccaneer Blaze? Not just anypony can pull those off at the drop of a hat."

Luna gushed, "Yes, those were quite impressive, especially the one maneuver that … where you …" she couldn't find the words to describe it, and her hooves flew around trying to demonstrate it, but Rainbow Dash seemed to know exactly what she was trying to say.

"Oh yeah, the Buccaneer Blaze," she said with pride. "It's no Sonic Rainboom, but it's still pretty cool. After that though, I just kinda went freestyle. You know, just focused on the basics."

"Your basics are most impressive, especially your ability to pitch so quickly and steeply. Tell me, have you had your wings enchanted, or is it your own natural ability?"

"Enchanted? You mean like use magic on my wings?" Rainbow Dash stretched out her wings and looked back at them questioningly.

Luna was a bit surprised at Rainbow Dash's apparent ignorance of the practice. A thousand years ago while it hadn't been ubiquitous, it had been used by quite a number of pegasi. "Well on any part of your body really, but yes. You could enchant your wings to make them stronger or more rigid for banking at high speed or for long distance gliding. Or you could enchant your body to make it lighter for better maneuverability, or certain parts heavier for a more impressive dive. Most of the spells are fairly easy for a practiced unicorn to create for you. In fact, Buck Fizz used to make extensive use of enchantments for his tricks."

Luna blushed a bit as she admitted, "I bring it up because on occasion I enchant my own wings to supplement my natural ability, but I've never been able to bank quite so tightly as you just did."

Rainbow Dash's eyes had grown larger and more luminous as Luna had spoken, and she eagerly burst out, "You knew Buck Fizz? He was like one of the best fliers ever! He used magic in his stunts?" Dash turned to Twilight and roughly shook her in excitement. "Twilight, why didn't you ever tell me? Think of all the awesome moves I could pull off with magic." She gasped and began to shake Twilight even more forcefully. "If I could get my speed up, I could even pull off a double rainboom, do you know what that means?"

Twilight's horn glowed as her head bobbled back and forth in Rainbow Dash's grip. She telekinetically lifted her friend away from her and brushed herself off. "I thought you didn't want magic interfering with your flying. You seemed pretty upset earlier."

Rainbow Dash hovered as she moved her hooves from one side to the other. "That was weather, this is stunt flying. Those are two completely separate things, Twilight."

Twilight still seemed upset for some reason as she visibly calmed herself down before replying, "Well, while I was aware that pegasi once used talismans enchanted by unicorns, the practice fell out of favor following the rise of the naturalist school of thought which –"

"Yeah, yeah, naturalist, smaturalist," Rainbow Dash said dismissively. She flew over and gently hugged Twilight's neck with one leg, throwing the other hoof out in front of them. "Don't you see, Twilight? I'm already awesome, but with your magic plus my wings, that equals like, double awesomeness."

Twilight sighed heavily and lowered her head in annoyance at the futility of trying to educate her friend. "Fine. When we get back to the library, I'll start researching spells that can help you fly better. But didn't you say you were getting something to eat? Luna and I were on our way home."

Dash's stomach loudly growled and she let go of Twilight to ruefully rub her head and laugh a bit.

"I too am hungry," Luna admitted. "Although I'm afraid I'm not in the mood for anymore of the fine goods from Sugar Cube Corner." The memory of the exploding batter was fresh in her mind, leaving a slight distaste for baked goods.

"Hey, why don't we head over to Chez Hay?" Rainbow Dash suggested. "We can grab something to eat and you can tell me about how cool Buck Fizz was."

"That sounds most agreeable," Luna replied. "It's been quite some time since I've had the opportunity to discuss flying."

Twilight shot Luna an indecipherable look, but obviously wasn't pleased with the decision, though Luna couldn't tell why. Nonetheless, even though she sighed, Twilight followed after them as Rainbow Dash led the way through town.

She flittered around Luna and Twilight, racing ahead excitedly, then slowing down to wait for them to catch up. "So, did you really know Buck Fizz? That's so cool! Did he really do the Buck Knot? A lot of ponies say that it's a myth because he's the only pony to ever pull it off."

"Yes I did, and yes he did," answered Luna. She was amused by just how excited Rainbow Dash was. Dash even did a few aerial back flips in simulation of Buck's Knot. Luna found herself smiling at the simple joy Rainbow Dash exulted in.

"Wait a second, you didn't know who Star Swirl the Bearded was, but you know who Buck Fizz is?" Twilight broke in. "They were contemporaries. In fact Buck Fizz is older than Star Swirl."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and let out a loud, "Pft. Like I could remember some ancient unicorn. Buck Fizz though, he had a statue in the Garden of Greatest Fliers up in Cloudsdale. It's the Junior Speedsters' job to go by every week and clean up the statues, since they're clouds and like to drift away. After you have to hoof-sculpt somepony's mane like a hundred times, you start to remember who they are."

Twilight appeared upset over Rainbow Dash's casual dismissal of unicorn history, and Luna was quick to change the subject.

"Yes well, Buck Fizz was indeed quite an impressive flier," Luna said, turning her attention back to Rainbow Dash. "When he flew, he left behind him a trail of lighting filled clouds. And when he performed his knot, he'd start out at a high altitude and dive straight down to pick up speed. At the bottom of his descent, he would begin to make extremely tight kulbits, one right after the other, stringing them together in a giant loop, creating a large knot in the sky. After he'd closed the knot, he would pull it tighter and tighter until it compressed down so far that it exploded back out across the sky with a burst of lighting that lit up the night from horizon to horizon."

Rainbow Dash had listened to Luna's recounting with bated breath, completely engrossed in the story. "That's so awesome," She squeaked out when Luna had finished. "If I pulled that off, there's no way the Wonderbolts wouldn't take me. I'd have to rename it something cool though, like the Dashing Knot."

Twilight broke Rainbow Dash's enthusiastic rambling by flatly observing, "Oh look, we're here."

Luna had been so engrossed in reminiscing that she'd failed to notice that they'd walked through the center of Ponyville and all the way to Chez Hay. The streets they'd passed had been mostly deserted thanks to the morning's rainstorm. However the restaurant was apparently popular since there were already a few ponies visible in it through the large windows. A rather severe, slicked back pony with a stylish moustache stood in the open doorway in the process of mopping up the mud that had been tracked into the entryway. He came to attention as they approached and surreptitiously kicked the rag he had been using out of sight.

"Table for three?" he asked with a hint of an accent.

"Yes please," Twilight answered for the group.

"Right this way." He picked up a trio of menus and led them into the restaurant. Soon they were safely ensconced at a small table partially secluded from the other diners, but next to one of the large windows, which was allowing the sunlight to pour in. The maitre de left them, and Twilight began to peruse the menu. Rainbow Dash however hardly glanced at it before she turned her attention back to Luna.

"So, Buck's Knot. How was he able to do it? I mean I know how he did it, but how did he do what he did? Nopony can pull a kulbit tight enough while going into a vertical loop. The closest was Golden Dream when she made the Golden Daisy."

Luna tilted her head in remembrance. She hadn't known Buck Fizz too well, but they had met on multiple occasions, and she wracked her memory to recall as much about him as possible. "Well, Buck wasn't the fastest pony, nor was he the most maneuverable. But he was certainly one of the most experimental fliers in all Equestria. At least a thousand years ago he was. While most ponies simply focused on attaining more speed," Rainbow Dash laughed half heartedly and looked away for a moment while Luna spoke, "Buck Fizz focused on the opposite, what happens after a pony stalls."

The maitre de reappeared and interrupted their conversation. "Are you ready to order?"

Twilight snapped her menu shut. "I'll have the tulip and romaine salad."

"I'll take a sunflower sandwich with extra sprouts," Rainbow Dash said uncaringly.

Luna hadn't even glanced at her menu and was caught flat hoofed. She blurted out, "I will have the same."

The stylish earth pony nodded and collected their menus, silently leaving Rainbow Dash to return to what was important.

"Stalling?" She asked incredulously.

Twilight helpfully supplied, "That's when lift is no longer provided as the angle of attack for an airborne surface increases. It's part of the Bermulli principle that -"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Rainbow Dash said with a dismissive shake of her head. "It's when you angle up too high and you can't fly anymore. Trust me, Twilight, when they were talking about flying, I paid attention. Mostly. Of course when you've got a pair of these, most of it is second nature anyway." Rainbow Dash flapped her wings to illustrate her point.

Rebuffed, Twilight crossed her hooves and leaned back in her seat.

Luna wanted to say something to wipe away her frown, but before she could, Rainbow Dash spoke up again. "But I don't get it. How does practicing not flying turn you into one of the greatest fliers ever?"

"From what I understand, Buck was interested in learning how to fly while not flying, to borrow your expression. You see, he was convinced that even in a stall, it was possible for him to continue to maneuver. Apparently, he was eventually able to discover just how to accomplish that."

Rainbow Dash leaned heavily on the table, and commented, "I still don't see how stalling would help him any."

Luna also leaned forward, becoming engrossed in discussing the dynamics of flight. "To put it simply, Buck's Knot is a series of maneuvers that use high speed stalling. Buck Fizz came up with a technique that allowed him to vector his thrust in such a way that even at extreme angles, where normal wings would be useless, he could control his flying and pull extremely tight turns."

Rainbow Dash's attention was caught and she asked, "But how is that possible?"

Twilight spoke up with a lecturing tone, "Well, in essence, when he was at the bottom of his dive, and at his fastest, Buck Fizz could enter into a high speed stall, and continue to have control over his flight. I would expect that it could be explained by taking into account the change in fluid density as his wing s changed their angle of attack, affecting the pressure of the air he was traveling through while the force he was generating for the most part would remain constant and –"

"Yeeeahhhhh," Rainbow Dash again interrupted. "I have no idea what you just said, Twilight. I'm sure that all that sciencey stuff is important to you eggheads, but I'm a hooves on kind of pony."

Twilight began to sulk again, and Luna was quick to attempt to support her friend, even if she only had the vaguest understanding of what Twilight had been explaining. "She's right though. The key to Buck Fizz's stunts was his ability to stop flying, but keep control, and that's much more difficult than it sounds."

The conversation was put on hold once more as their food arrived, and Luna discovered that she'd ordered a rather monumental sandwich, which towered over the relatively small plate. Rainbow Dash quickly wolfed hers down, but Luna was unsure of where to begin with the high calorie meal. She took a few moments to examine it, before she leaned forward to nibble at it. Twilight glared at her salad and stabbed at it with her magically controlled fork.

Rainbow Dash, being the first to finish, was also the first to speak. "So if this stall, but still flying technique is so great, then why didn't anypony else use it?"

Luna could already feel herself filling up after a few bites of the admittedly delicious sandwich. "I don't know. I would have thought that Buck Fizz's research would have been continued since it was so revolutionary. But obviously it wasn't." Luna looked to Twilight for a possible explanation. She'd come to expect the purple unicorn to take full advantage of the opportunity to educate her fellow ponies, but this time Twilight remained stubbornly silent.

With a shrug, Luna turned back to Rainbow Dash and theorized, "Perhaps because his stunt flying was so successful, Buck Fizz kept his secrets to himself. I don't know the exact specifics of his techniques, I suppose nopony does anymore, but I do know how he accomplished them in a general sort of way. Buck Fizz flew with a wide assortment of enchanted talismans that he had worked into his costume. One of which allowed his remiges to become as stiff as steel, and another that allowed him to angle them at quite an unnatural angle from the rest of the wing." Luna unfurled one of her wings to point out the particular feathers she was describing. "With the correct speed, and just the right conditions, and the proper curvature of his wings, Buck Fizz was able to put himself into a stall at will, then pull himself out of it just as quickly. I admired his skills, and actually attempted to emulate his style of flying, but I never had much opportunity to practice, and to be honest, I'm an indifferent flyer. While I'm quite capable of flying for very long distances, I can't perform stunt flying on a level anywhere near the level of the Wonderbolts or a pony such as yourself."

Rainbow Dash fluttered up from her seat in excitement. "Aw, I bet that's not true at all. Your problem is that you've been focusing on all this theory about how flying works and you haven't put enough flight hours in. Flying isn't something you can learn from a book, it's something you gotta feel."

"Do you really think so?" Luna couldn't help the excitement that bled into her voice. She hadn't been exaggerating when she'd labeled herself as merely an adequate flyer. The idea that she could possibly outperform Celestia when it came to aerobatic flying was enchanting.

"Heck yeah! With me as your coach, I'll guarantee that you'll be the second best flier in Equestria, right after me of course. Why wait? We should go grab some sky time right now and you can show me some of that fancy flying magic, and I can give you a few pointers."

"Didn't you have someplace else to be?" Twilight asked in a somewhat angry tone. "A nap or something?"

"Eh, I can catch a nap anytime," Dash said dismissively.

"Are you certain you don't need to rest?" Luna pressed. "You have been flying all day already, and under quite severe conditions."

Rainbow Dash did a short aerial back flip, narrowly missing the ceiling of the restaurant. "I'm good to go, see? I'm plenty rested and refueled from lunch. Let's go!"

Luna looked over at Twilight to find the unicorn shooting Rainbow Dash a somewhat angry glare. Not sure why Twilight was upset, but not wanting to see her in such a state, with concerned eyes and an unsure frown, Luna asked her, "Is it alright if I go?"

"Sure! Of course it is. You're a grown mare, you can make your own decisions," Twilight replied loudly, turning to stare intently at her salad she hadn't eaten so much as shredded.

"Well, if you're sure …" Slightly uneasy, Luna rose from the table. Rainbow Dash sped out of the restaurant, and Luna eagerly followed, though at a much more sedate pace. Once outside she unfolded her wings and took to the air.

Luna hadn't flown for an extended period of time for quite a while, so she was looking forward to her time with Rainbow Dash. As the pegasus sped ahead, Luna flapped her dark wings and climbed up after her. After several minutes of steady flight, they eventually came to a stop and began to tread air far above the empty fields on the outskirts of Ponyville. There weren't any other ponies at their altitude, only a few wispy clouds that had begun to develop from the remnants of the storm from earlier.

Below them, Ponyville and its environs were spread out in a carpet of green interrupted by streams and stands of forest, from which erupted tiny pony-built buildings. Sweet Apple Acres, with its ordered rows of trees and other crops, seemed to spread across a wide swath of the land below them, stretching all the way to the curvature of the horizon.

"Okay, this should be high enough that we don't get bothered by anypony, or accidentally crash into anything. Now show me your moves, PL."

"PL?"

Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs and explained, "Short for Princess Luna. Anyway, show me what you've got." Luna wasn't sure what exactly Rainbow Dash meant by her 'moves,' and the other pony noticed her hesitancy. She swooped closer to the princess and comfortingly said, "Just relax, PL. Let's start off with seeing how fast you can go. Speed's the key to most of the really good tricks."

Luna looked down at the tiny Ponyville below them, and took a deep breath. She pointed her head down and retracted her wings, falling into a dive toward the picturesquely green pastures below. She could feel her mane and tail stream out behind her, and she tucked her head down and hooves in, picking up speed. In a few seconds she'd dropped several thousand meters, and the ground had grown larger and larger, until through her narrowed and watering eyes, Luna could distinguish individual trees and even the way the long grass in the fields was swaying in the breeze.

She slowly extended her wings and gracefully pulled out of her dive. Unused to the stresses pushing down on her, Luna began to pump her wings and flew level for a few seconds before she angled up into a long, gradual curving ascent. With the pressure bearing down on her lessening, Luna turned her head to find Rainbow Dash, and found a long streak of stark blackness filled with points of starlight trailing out behind her. It was as if somepony had torn a hole in the pale blue sky, letting the darkness of the night through. Continuing her climb, Luna slowly spiraled up to where Rainbow Dash was patiently waiting for her.

"Well, you're not the fastest flier I've ever seen, but I think you've got enough speed to pull off a few cool tricks," Rainbow Dash bluntly informed her. Before Luna could begin to feel crestfallen though, Rainbow Dash began to look around searchingly. "Uh, wait right here." With a characteristic burst of speed that continued to surprise Luna, she dashed over to where the thin clouds had begun to reform and began to shove them together. In a few minutes she'd shaped them into five tall fluffy pillars which she moved around until they lined up in a relatively evenly spaced row.

She darted back to Luna and bled off speed by making a couple of tight circles around the princess. "Okay, now we've got ourselves an obstacle course. The good old fashioned slalom, great for working on high speed turns. Now, PL, all you gotta do is to weave in and out of those clouds. Simple Right?" Rainbow Dash explained, wiggling her hoof to demonstrate the maneuver.

It did seem like a simple enough task, and with a regal grace, Luna leaned forward and beat her wings, picking up a little speed. With fierce concentration she carefully navigated the slalom, precisely flying through the dead center of the gap between each of the clouds. After the final cloud she continued her turn and flew back to where Rainbow Dash was treading air and observing. "How was that?" Luna called out to her.

"Eh, it was okay. But try it again, and this time go faster, and bank when you turn, really throw your body into it." Rainbow Dash spun in a tight circle, illustrating what she meant by putting one's body into it. She was banking so sharply that her wing tip pointed at the ground and her hooves pointed toward the horizon.

Not wanting to disappoint her newfound couch, Luna lined up with the clouds once more, and with a heavy pump of her wings and a short dive, gained much more speed than her previous attempt. Her heart began to speed up as the clouds quickly loomed in front of her. She twisted her body in imitation of the steep bank that Rainbow Dash had demonstrated, and shot through the gap between the first two clouds. She was flying too fast though and nearly overshot the second gap. She slowed down a bit as she twisted her body in the opposite direction and barely missed kicking the third cloud. This time she anticipated the third opening between the clouds and banked too hard, causing her to lose even more speed before she lined herself up with the final gap. She ended her slalom with much less speed that she'd started it with, and sedately flew back over to Rainbow Dash.

Before she could ask how she'd done, Rainbow Dash congratulated her, "That was way better. But you need to work on keeping your speed up, and moving your body without thinking about it." Rainbow Dash shot over to the clouds and pushed them all closer to one another. "Do it again, but faster," She yelled over to Luna from the other end of the line of clouds.

Luna's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She was already breathing harder than normal from the last run. But she knew that Rainbow Dash wouldn't be pushing her if she thought Luna couldn't accomplish her task.

Trusting in Rainbow Dash's faith in her, Luna gained a little altitude, then dived as she pumped her wings to propel her to a speed just shy of leaving a contrail. This time the clouds shot toward her, and as she leaned into the first bank, she noticed that she no longer felt as if she were flying through the air. Instead it felt as if the air was flowing around her, she wasn't fighting against it to stay aloft, rather it was holding her up and pushing her along.

In a flash the first two clouds passed, and before they were even gone, Luna had smoothly shifted her body and blasted through the second gap. Another twist and another cloud behind her, though she did feel a wet and cold spray on her tail. Keeping up her speed, Luna powered through the final opening, and as she did she acted on impulse and continued her bank, turning it into an aileron roll. She transitioned that into a large loop that took her up to Rainbow Dash. Her heart was pounding, her adrenaline was surging, and Luna couldn't keep the wide smile bourn from exhilaration from her face.

"Wow, you're a fast learner," Rainbow Dash complimented her, obviously impressed. "You did that run almost perfectly. You just nicked the third cloud, but with a little more practice I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."

Luna was panting heavily, unused to such exercise, but she replied, "It's easy to learn when the lesson is this … fun."

Rainbow Dash laughed. "I know, right? There's nothing like pulling off a stunt perfectly, knowing you're only barely in control, and one wrong move can send you crashing into the ground. But when you pull off something amazing, something nopony's done before, and your heart's racing, and your blood's pumping, and you look around and everypony's going crazy over how awesome you are, it's the best feeling ever." She said while wearing a somewhat goofy grin.

Having tasted a shadow of what Rainbow Dash was describing, Luna could only reply with a lopsided grin of her own and a quiet, "I can imagine."

Dash's eyes sparkled as she focused on Luna once more, and they shared a brief unspoken connection. Two ponies terrified of failure, but ever striving for success.

Dash was the first to break eye contact. She embarrassedly rubbed the back of her mane with one hoof and tried to sound a bit more serious. "So, about these enchantment thingies that help you fly better …"

"Oh yes," Luna said, recollecting their earlier conversation. "Well, for me, it's easy enough to cast spells on myself. But most pegasi would store a spell in a tangible object and activate it when they needed." Luna cast about, but she hadn't brought anything with her on their flight. It appeared that Dash hadn't either, with the exception of the goggles that she'd pushed up to ride on her forehead. "Your goggles for instance."

Dash raised a questioning hoof to her eyewear. "My goggles?"

"Yes. I could store the spell in them and then you can activate it on demand. Though it will only last for a short while, and would have to be recharged if you wanted to use it again."

"Oh." Dash pulled off her goggles and looked at them speculatively. "So you can make me stronger, or faster, or what?"

Luna mentally ran through her repertoire of spells, thinking of ones that could be adapted for their purpose, and would benefit Dash's flying. Casting several aside for their complexity, or only slightly beneficial results, her eyes lit up in excitement as she remembered Sundowner's spell for frictionless surfaces. It didn't truly create a frictionless object, but it did greatly decrease the drag of an object through a fluid environment.

"I have just the thing," Luna excitedly informed Dash. "Just hold the goggles out like that."

Dash held her goggles up in both hooves uncertainly., while her wings continued to rhythmically pump, holding her up in the crystal blue sky. Luna smiled at her reassuringly before she closed her eyes and gathered a substantial amount of magic within her, concentrating it in her conductive horn.

Humming with energy, Luna reached out with her senses and explored the magic surrounding her. It was easy to find Dash, she was the only other living thing in the area, and living things had a way of twisting up the currents of the naturally occurring magic in the environment. She exhibited the normal magical aura for a pegasus, as if somepony had gathered together several streams of wind and had tied them together. Though Luna did notice that Dash 'tasted' differently than any other pegasus she'd encountered. Beneath the insubstantial torrents that flowed around her, there was a core of familiar light and heat. A tiny portion of Luna recoiled from the power that had imprisoned her so long ago, but the rest of her embraced the element of loyalty as one of her saviors from the darkness within her own soul.

Concentrating, Luna searched through the currents that represented Dash and located the small bubble caused by her goggles. Because they were ordinary, non-magical goggles, Luna couldn't 'see' them with her magic, but she could 'see' their outlines as they interrupted Dash's normal flow of magic. Her target acquired, and with more than enough power built up in her body, Luna concentrated on the steps not only for Sundowner's frictionless spell, but for Pink Gin's spell of binding as well in order to embed the spell in the goggles and make it voice activated.

With a surge of energy, Luna wove the two spells together and released them, opening her eyes just in time to see the eyewear in Dash's hooves sparkle with dark violet energy. The glow around them faded in a moment, and Luna let her unused energy dissipate away from her. "There, that should do."

Dash looked from her goggles to Luna, seemingly unwilling to put them back on. "What exactly did you do to them?"

Remembering that Dash was a 'hooves on kind of pony,' Luna kept her explanation simple. "I gave your goggles a spell that should allow you to fly faster, or at least not use as much effort while you fly."

Dash nodded appreciatively but still looked unsold on the idea. "So, how do I turn it on?"

"You say the verbal command, 'Excelsior!'"

Dash snorted and broke into peals of laughter. "Excelsior? That sounds so dorkish! Why can't you eggheads ever come up with something cool?"

Luna could feel her cheeks heat up in embarrassment as Dash wiped her tears of hilarity away. "I thought it would be beneficial to use a word you wouldn't be likely to say. Besides which, I thought it was fitting considering the nature of the spell."

Her laughter seemed to have overcome Dash's earlier reticence. "Yeah, yeah," she said with a large grin as she donned her goggles once more, letting the rest on her forehead again. "So do these need to be over my eyes to work or what?"

"So long as they're touching you, the spell should work."

"Cool." Dash seemed uncomfortable again, but she took a deep breath and with confidence said, "Okay, let's do this. Excelsior." She flapped her wings a few times, then looked over at Luna in confusion.

"You have to say it like you mean it," Luna explained, feeling a bit better with the small payback for Dash's earlier mocking.

"Seriously?" Dash somehow slumped in midair and sighed. "Fine." She snapped into a heroic pose, her eyes staring into the distance, one foreleg flung out before her, the other bunched up near her body. "Excelsior!"

Dash's wings flashed with a brief sheen of white light which transformed into a whirl of rainbow colored sparkles that highlighted her remiges. Without warning, Dash shot off in a blur of rainbow light. Luna had to turn quickly to keep her in sight as the excited pegasus launched into a series of aileron rolls, sudden dives, and unbelievably steep climbs. For several minutes the stream of rainbow she left in her wake tangled around itself before Dash swooped over to where Luna was waiting for her.

"This is amazing!" Dash shouted with excitement. "It's like there isn't any air, like I'm flying through nothing at all!" She circled Luna several times in the blink of an eye. "This is so great, thanks Luna!"

Luna could feel her heart swelling with happiness over her efforts being so well received. With a large, almost sappy smile, Luna replied, "You're welcome, Rainbow Dash. I'm glad you like it."

"Hay yeah I like it. Just thinking of all the great stunts I can make better with this is getting me pumped." Dash finally flew still as a thought occurred to her. "So how long is this supposed to last?"

"I'm not sure," Luna admitted. "I've never done and enchantment like this for another pony before, and the time limit is dependent upon both my own strength, as well as yours."

Dash did a spontaneous loop as she replied, "Well, I guess I better get as much out of it as I can then. But first…" She shot over to the clouds that had begun to drift away and quickly remade the obstacle course, but with the clouds even closer together than before, and she'd made a new cloud in the shape of an empty circle she situated perpendicular to the other clouds. "Do it again, but faster. And this time you have to dive through the donut before you hit the slalom."

Energized by Dash's faith in her, Luna didn't question whether she'd be able to perform the stunt. Instead, she squared her shoulders and dived down toward the clouds, gaining enough speed to leave a dark trail of night behind her.

For the next hour or so, Dash danced across the sky, testing the limits of her newfound speed. Meanwhile, Luna continued to work on her maneuverability by running the obstacle course over and over, pausing only when Dash came over to rearrange it to make it more challenging. Each time the azure pegasus would tell her, "Good, but do it again, and faster."

By the end of the hour, Luna was covered in sweat and gasping for breath. Dash must have noticed how tired Luna had become because after arranging the clouds one final time, she called up to Luna, "Okay, this'll be the last run for today, so make it awesome!"

Luna looked down at the course. It seemed simple enough, a slalom of ten clouds preceded by two 'donuts.' However the 'donuts' were at nearly a ninety degree angle from one another and were far too close for comfort.

"RD, are you sure about this?"

"Relax, PL, you got this. I've been watching you fly all day. You're better than you think."

Luna examined the course once more, and still the angle between the two 'donuts' looked physically impossible. No pony could make such an extreme turn midair. But … Perhaps Dash was right. Perhaps a pony never really knew their limits until they surpassed them. A part of her mind pointed out that made no sense whatsoever, and the rest of it point out that she'd already started to dive.

She passed Dash as she dove, picking up speed, squeezing her body tighter and tighter to cut down on air resistance. The 'donut' that had appeared fairly small from her previous height grew until it filled her entire vision. Just as she hit it, Luna threw open her wings and arched her back, desperately trying to make the turn. She could feel the air catch her wings and try to wrest them away from her. Muscles all along her back flexed and strained as she pulled her momentum from one direction to another. Feeling the strain all the way to her hooves, Luna shot through the second 'donut.'

Immediately she faced a cloud pillar and using muscle memory she threw her body sideways into a bank without even thinking about it. She sliced through the first and second gaps with ease, when she noticed a bright rainbow zoom in and easily catch up to her, slaloming through the clouds in the opposite direction from Luna. Every time they came to a gap, Luna and Dash would pass within inches of one another. Weaving in and out at such a high speed, dodging her friend as well as the clouds, adrenaline pumping and her blood surging, Luna couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh, though she was traveling so fast that nopony could hear it.

Distracted by all the fun she was having, Luna failed to bank as sharply as she should have, and instead of passing the final cloud, she plowed straight through it, covering her in a brisk dew and scattering it into a thousand tattered pieces. But that imperfection in her performance didn't matter. Dash was still with her, flying just below Luna. She shifted her weight and effortlessly sailed into a barrel roll over Luna's head. Not to be outdone, Luna launched into a barrel roll of her own, and soon the two ponies were flying in a rolling scissors. A rolling scissors that turned vertical as Luna followed Dash's lead and they dove toward the ground. They quickly picked up speed and tightened their spiral until they were once again mere inches from one another. Spinning around each other, the tips of their wings nearly touching the other pony's.

Suddenly Dash broke the formation and shot away from Luna. Confused, Luna looked down and noticed that the ground was much closer than she'd thought. She too leveled off and bled speed as she traveled away from Dash on a course that took her through Ponyville. She looked over her shoulder for signs of her friend and caught sight of the trail they had left behind. It was a ribbon, a double helix of starry night and bright, vibrant rainbow. It was a rainbow in the dark, a truly impressive sight against the blue sky of the afternoon.

Dash had slowed down to the point she was no longer leaving a trail, and Luna lost the azure pegasus amidst the pale blue sky. But she looked ahead and noticed she was approaching a park, and underneath a large tree was a familiar purple unicorn.

Luna alighted nearby and suddenly noticed just how sore her wings were. She achingly stretched them as she began to walk toward Twilight. Without warning, Rainbow Dash landed next to her and excitedly said, "Hey, PL, that was awesome! Give me some hoof!" Dash held out her hoof expectantly and hesitantly Luna raised her own. Dash tapped her hoof against Luna's. "Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. What'd I tell you? A little more practice and you'll be the second best flier in Equestria in no time."

"Well, it looks like you two are having fun," Twilight said archly as she walked toward them.

"You know it, Twi," Rainbow Dash eagerly replied. "Today was so awesome, I got to learn a new trick, and practice more stuff than I ever have before, and I got to coach a princess. It was so cool."

Dash eagerly looked around to make sure that everypony was excited as her, but then she did a double take. Her carefree laughter stopped and her face transformed to outraged realization. Luna turned her head to find what had caused such an abrupt transformation, and found dark yellow pegasus with an orange mane carrying a basket in his mouth and trotting alongside a light blue unicorn with a dark blue mane.

Dash sprung into the air and pointed an accusing hoof at the stallion, shouting, "Sunburst, you said you couldn't fly today because you broke your leg, again!"

Sunburst turned his attention from his delightful companion to where Rainbow Dash was angrily flying. Upon seeing her, his eyes dilated and with a gasp he dropped his basket, and left it behind along his confused date as he quickly flew in the opposite direction. Luna could swear that his coat had turned from yellow to grey in an instant.

"You get back here!" Rainbow Dash yelled. A rainbow shot away from Twilight and Luna as Rainbow Dash rapidly ascending into the sky after the departing pegasus stallion.

"Well, that's something you don't see every day," Twilight commented evenly as they watched the departing Dash. She looked at Luna and said, "Are you ready to head back yet?" There was a strange undercurrent in Twilight's tone that Luna hadn't heard before, but put her on edge. Absently, she wondered what Twilight had been doing in the park while she and Rainbow Dash had been flying.

While they walked side-by-side back to the library, Luna could tell that Twilight's mood had soured. She was obviously upset over something, and for the life of her, Luna couldn't figure out what it was. They passed a few minutes in tense silence as Luna waited for Twilight to reveal what was on her mind, but eventually Luna realized that she would have to be the one to take the verbal plunge.

"Twilight, are you alright? You seem upset."

"Upset? Me? Why would I be upset?" Twilight rhetorically asked as she increased her pace a bit, forcing Luna to take longer strides to keep up.

With an uncertain voice, Luna replied, "I don't know. You just seem … angry over something."

"Well excuse me for not being as carefree as some ponies. We can't all be so flippant when it comes to life. Some ponies actually have more important things to do than to fly around all day, lazing around on clouds like Rainbow Dash."

"What does Rainbow Dash have to do with anything?" Luna asked in confusion.

"Nothing. Everything," Twilight clarified with a frustrated toss of her head. "You two seemed to be having such a great time together, talking about flying, and flittering around all afternoon. I didn't want to interrupt you. Since, you know, I don't have wings, so I couldn't' possibly have a clue what it's like to be a pegasus like you two."

Luna began to have an inkling of why Twilight was so upset. She smiled with bemusement at Twilight's foalish emotion as she admonished, "Twilight, just because you don't have wings is no reason to be angry at Rainbow Dash, or me." She ruffled her wings just a bit in order to relieve some of the tension in her back.

Twilight finally turned to look fully at Luna, and in a voice loud enough for half the street to hear, she hotly declared, "I'm not angry with you, or her! I'm j-"

She bit off what she was about to say, mid-syllable, and her eyes widened in surprise. She raised a hoof up and covered her mouth with it, whether to keep what she was about to say inside, or because she'd made a shocking discovery, Luna wasn't sure. Luna waited for her to continue, as did several nearby ponies, who'd stopped what they were doing to witness the latest antics of the town's librarian. But they lost interest when all Twilight did was to search Luna's face speculatively for a few seconds before she turned and silently began walking toward the library once more.

Her fiery anger had transformed into a contemplative introspection so quickly that Luna had no idea what was going through the other pony's mind. Belatedly she realized that Twilight had gone ahead without her, and she raced to catch up.

"Are you certain you're not mad?" Luna asked again. She hated seeing Twilight upset, especially when the cause for her temper might be Luna herself.

"No, I'm … I'm not," replied Twilight very distractedly, seeming to be lost in her own world.

Luna was about to press her friend on the fact that there was something she was obviously thinking about heavily, but before she could ask Twilight about her strange mood swings, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Luna felt a flood of instinctive dread as she turned her head to quickly find what had attracted her attention, but all she saw was a busier than normal corner of the Ponyville market, crammed with Ponyville residents. Luna wasn't sure what it was she'd seen. It had been a familiar movement, or perhaps a face she'd seen often enough before for it to leave a rather unpleasant sensation in its wake. But there were few ponies that Luna actively disliked, and none of them lived in Ponyville.

Twilight was apparently so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Luna's odd jerk of her head, or the depression in the road until she tripped over it. Twilight's momentary stumble drew Luna's attention, and she put the partially glimpsed whatever it had been, and the accompanying unpleasant sensation out of her mind. It had likely been a trick of the light, or possibly the many hours she'd been awake finally catching up to her.

Anxiously, Luna looked over her friend, but Twilight seemed unharmed from her near fall, just very preoccupied. The rest of the journey to Twilight's tree was short and silent. Each pony lost in her own thoughts.

"Good morning," Spike greeted them with a yawn as they entered. It was easily apparent that he'd just woken up based on his hooded eyes and the rumpled sleeping cap he was still wearing. Obviously Twilight wasn't the only one who was keeping later hours thanks to Luna's visit.

"Good afternoon, Spike," Luna cheerfully replied.

Twilight grunted in acknowledgement, then apparently came to a decision. She turned to Luna and said, "I need to go ask Rarity about something. Do you mind being by yourself for a bit?"

Luna was feeling quite weary from her sleepless night, and action packed day, but she gamely offered, "I could go with you."

"No!" Twilight hastily said, then in a lower tone explained, "I mean, no, thank you Luna. But I need to talk to her about something … personal. Something private. Really private, and I need to speak with her alone." Twilight tried to remove the sting from her words with a strangely awkward and nervous smile.

"Oh." Luna had to admit that she was disappointed. She had hoped that she and Twilight had built a friendship where Twilight could feel comfortable sharing everything with her. But then she felt a stab of guilt at her double standard. After all, Twilight wasn't the only pony keeping secrets from her friend.

Some of her emotion must have made itself known on her face because Twilight's expression softened and she seemed truly apologetic. "Though if you really want to, you're welcome to come along Luna."

Luna didn't want to force Twilight to change her plans out of pity, and quite honestly she was quickly fading. "Oh no, you go on ahead, Twilight. I'm actually quite fatigued. I think I'll just take a short nap while you're gone." Luna tried to ignore the obvious relief that spread across Twilight's features at her decision to stay behind.

"Hey, if you're going to Rarity's, can I come?" Spike asked. His cap had disappeared and he seemed infinitely more awake and eager than he had a few moments before.

Twilight shook her head. "Not this time, Spike. I need you to catalogue the books we have in sections K through M and P through T."

Spike deflated and moaned, "Oh man, that'll take all day."

"Sorry, Spike," Twilight said apologetically, walking over to nuzzle her number one assistant. "But it would be a really big help if you did this for me. And, just for you, I'll see if Rarity has anymore star sapphires that I can bring you."

The mention of the jewel perked Spike right back up. "A star sapphire? Well, I guess I could go visit Rarity tomorrow. I wouldn't want her to think that I'm desperate or anything by showing up every single day."

"Oh no, we wouldn't want that," Twilight agreed with a playful roll of her eyes.

Luna let out an involuntarily large yawn that she was only barely able to hide behind a discrete hoof. "Oh, excuse me. I believe that my body is attempting to inform me that it's time to rest. If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go turn in."

"Good night, Princess," Spike said. "Or morning, or afternoon, or whatever time it is."

"Sweet dreams," Twilight simply wished. Luna could feel her eyes following her as she made her way up to the bedroom.

Twilight's room was bathed in sunlight, and though there were many personal items tucked away around the room, nothing was out of place. Luna flew up to the bed, and found it's impeccably made sheets glowing in the warm light from the window; she easily gave into their inviting allure. Luna slid between the sheets and buried her face in the pillow, blocking out Celestia's sunlight, and breathing in the scent that had permeated the fabric. The comforting smell which belonged uniquely to Twilight. In a few short moments, lulled by the warm bed, the soft sheets, and the faded presence of the bed's owner, Luna fell into a soft slumber.

The welcome rest though was short lived. After perhaps an hour, when her eyes had begun to twitch behind her tightly closed eyelids, Luna began to fitfully toss and turn. Soon her voice, spurred on by her dreams, broke through her sleep long enough to let out a whispered word of softly murmured broken phrase. As her dreams deepened, Luna began to thrash wildly about in the bed, clearly having unpleasant dreams of the demons that haunted her.

She finally awoke with a frightful gasp and she nearly leapt from of the bed. Luna was sweating and her heart was racing, while her mouth was painfully dry. She'd had a rather bad nightmare. In fact one of the more unpleasant ones since her return from the moon. It was rapidly fading, but she could still remember it had been about Twilight and Celestia laughing unpleasantly and she'd been back on the moon, or maybe incased in stone, unable to move or speak, only to watch and, and, and it was gone. Whatever terrible vision she'd seen had slipped away as silently as it had arrived, leaving nothing behind but a general sense of disquiet and dread.

There was a shuffle of hooves and Luna turned her head to find Twilight standing quite close to the side of the bed, concern filling her impossibly deep eyes. "Are you alright, Luna? I came to wake you up because it's almost time to raise the moon, and you were thrashing around, murmuring in your sleep."

Luna raised a hoof and brushed the hair from her face as she asked, "I didn't say anything unusual, did I?"

The delicate blush that played across twilight's cheeks as she refused to meet Luna's eyes informed her that yes; she'd said something quite embarrassing.

"Oh no, nothing intelligible."

"Good." Luna agreed to go along with Twilight's little white lie as she climbed out of bed.

The dream had left a lingering unpleasant feeling, and Luna felt trapped, as if something catastrophic were about to happen. The walls of the library were too close, and they were closing in on her. She shot a glance out of the window for relief, and found that he sun had traveled far while she'd slept and was now touching the horizon. Night was on the cusp of descending, and the thought of the crisp night air flowing around her body, soothing her heated thoughts, filled Luna with the urge to race outside. "I'm sorry, Twilight, bit I need to get some fresh air."

Twilight stepped closer and quickly offered, "I'll go with you."

But this time it was Luna's turn to rebuke her friend. "No. I feel that it would be best if I were alone for a little while," Luna stated more harshly than she intended.

Twilight's face fell, and she appeared crestfallen as she sadly replied, "I understand."

Luna's heart went out to Twilight, but a vague memory of horrible laughter shot through her mind, and she could no longer endure the stuffiness of the room. Not bothering to traverse the entire library to get outside, Luna burst out of the glass doors leading to the balcony. She paused long enough to impatiently raise the moon, uncaring that the sun was still in the sky, and both celestial bodies would be visible at the same time.

With a graceful leap, and despite her still tired wings, Luna took to the sky. She was too scared to look back as she flew into the darkening night.

* * *

><p>AN

Special thanks to Dawning the Mask, Lambotrist, and Pyrite, for continuing to hound me until I got it right.

This is the best I can do. The next chapter will be better.


	6. Part 2e

I do not own My Little Pony

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><p>Luna wasn't really sure where she was flying to. Nor did she really care so long as it was away. Away from the troubles and fears that refused to leave her no matter how fast or high she flew. Though that didn't stop her from trying to out-fly them, for a little while at least.<p>

There were a few other ponies sharing the evening sky, but Luna gave them a wide berth, not feeling up to holding a conversation with somepony else and having to pretend that everything was alright, even for a moment. She sped through the night, quickly passing the environs of Ponyville, the carefully kept parks and gardens, until she'd entered the wilder, fallow fields and pastures that separated Ponyville from the Everfree Forest. Her over-exerted wings began to ache terribly, and as she neared the end of the pastures, she alighted on a small hill in the shadow of the dreaded forest. So close that the tall grass rolling away toward Ponyville was shorter and patchier, choked off by the wild growing plants nearby.

As the sun sank behind her, she gingerly sat down, modestly folding her wings back. The evening's shadows lengthened, and Luna turned her face up to the waning moon. In the fading blue sky, trapped between two horizons, one vibrant red, the other dank blue, the dull moon seemed worn out and nearly transparent as the day's twilight chased after the still brilliant sun. Luna could sympathize.

An errant breeze sighed out of the Everfree Forest and Luna closed her eyes in appreciation, imagining that it might be able to cool her heated emotions as it did her skin. However, her thoughts refused to settle from the disarray her dream had scattered them into. Though she couldn't remember any specific detail from it, the swirl of emotions it had left in its wake caused her to feel even more fatigued than before she'd slept. As she tried to remember what had been so disquieting about her dream, brief flashes of directionless anger and jealously assailed her, but their intensity was smothered by an even heavier emotion dredged up by her subconscious, an overpowering fear that had suffocatingly wrapped itself around her.

It was an old and achingly familiar fear that she'd thought she'd banished time and time again, the fear of being alone, of being an outcast, of being unlovable.

With one eye on the waning moon and the other on the fading sun, Luna shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position on the hard hilltop. Of course she and Celestia were different from their subjects, and that created an unavoidable gulf between them, isolating the royal sisters. But while nopony else, other than Celestia, could know the loneliness of being an alicorn, Luna had almost always felt that there was a further, subtler difference between how she and Celestia were treated by their little ponies. For some reason, whether due to her more introspective nature, or simply because she was younger and thus constantly overshadowed by her elder sister, Luna had never been as popular as Celestia. In fact she'd never really been popular by anypony's standards.

When Equestria had been much younger, Luna had believed that she'd come to terms with the fact that everypony preferred Celestia to her. She'd believed that while nopony ever expressed their thanks for the night sky, some ponies somewhere were sure to admire the moon and stars, if not the amount of effort she'd put into them. For many years she'd ushered in the night, and each evening her certainty that there were other ponies enjoying it lessened just a little, until one night her solitude and isolation had driven her to engage in … unsound methods.

Following Nightmare Moon's imprisonment in the moon, Luna had again contended with loneliness. While she hadn't been aware for most of her banishment, and the brief flashes she did remember were filtered through the murky eyes of Nightmare Moon, Luna did remember the bleak solitude, and the longing for the companionship of another pony. Of course Nightmare Moon had been focused on having somepony else to subjugate and bend to her will until they did nothing but compliment her and stroke her already grandiose ego, but still, even Nightmare Moon had felt the pangs of being the only living thing on the moon for a thousand years.

Both Luna and Nightmare Moon had thought their loneliness had been conquered upon their return to Equestria, when for the first time in a millennium they'd been able to see, speak to, and even touch other ponies. Following her second encounter with the elements of harmony, Luna had rejoiced in reuniting with her sister, and with the rest of Equestria as well.

However, all too soon the familiar loneliness that stalked Luna overtook her once again. Ponies no longer ignored her, but now they kept their distance out of fear for her power and uncertain temperament. Luna knew that their actions were justified, after all she hadn't been the most emotionally stable of ponies in the past, so she certainly couldn't fault them for being wary of her now. Even though her isolation was self-inflicted this time, Luna found that it was just as distasteful as it had been a thousand years earlier. But this time she was determined to earn her subjects' forgiveness and with a penitent resignation she endured their fearful glances, the crossing of hallways to get out of her path, and the harsh silences that heralded her entrance into every room.

And then Twilight Sparkle had stumbled into her life, and everything had changed. It no longer mattered what the other ponies said or thought, only how Twilight felt about her. For the first time in centuries, Luna knew once more the overwhelming joy of no longer being alone. For the first time since she'd turned her back on Celestia, Luna had a friend, a real friend who genuinely cared about her.

She couldn't help but smile as her thoughts turned toward her favorite unicorn. But as another, harsher wind ripped out of the nearby forest, Luna's expression became pensive and her bright eyes became dull as her head bent under the weight of her guilty thoughts. Now she was afraid once more because she knew that her time with Twilight was nearly over. Already it was past time for her to tell the truth, that their relationship was predicated upon a lie. And then, she'd be alone again.

The sun finally sank below the edge of the world, and the red glow it left behind began to cool into tepid darkness. Luna was the princess of the night, and as the night settled once more over Equestria, she knew her time in the sun was destined to be short-lived, no matter how afraid she became, it was her duty, her obligation, to both Celestia and Twilight to go gently into that good night, to be alone.

She sighed and hung her head in defeat, closing her eyes wearily for a few minutes. The moon had been made a little brighter by the sun's absence, but its pale light did little to dispel the gathering shadows. The vibrant daytime Equestria faded into a world of black and grey. In the distance the darkness was held at bay by the cheerful lights of Ponyville, and far beyond that, the twinkling lights of Canterlot outlined the steep side of the mountain it nestled against. The small hill that Luna sat upon had become merely another swell in the sea of shadows that rolled out of the plumbless depths of the Everfree Forest.

Most ponies, normal ponies at any rate, likely would be a bit apprehensive being alone on such a dark night, especially so close to where the wild things were. After all, ponies were originally prey for the many nocturnal predators known to prowl through the Everfree.

But Luna felt safe. In fact she welcomed the night and the darkness it brought, no matter where in Equestria she was when it fell. Often, during the few times she was awake during the day, Luna found the sun too bright, burning away the shadows that made the world comfortable. It was only in darkness that Luna had come to feel free. In the dark nopony could see her try to live up to her potential, and fail.

Luna's ruminations were scattered as a disquieting feeling slithered down her spine. She was no longer alone.

The still and silent night hadn't changed from a few moments ago, but instinctively Luna knew that somehow, somepony or something had penetrated the veil of darkness around her and was silently watching, weighing her.

She suddenly felt quite exposed on the hilltop, the shadows that had comforted her only moments before now proved their insubstantial nature as they were easily pierced by an intensely focused gaze.

Slowly, surreptitiously, Luna opened her eyes and turned her head to and fro, scanning her surroundings. The darkness only slightly hindered her vision. Even with the wane glow of the moon and stars as the only illumination, Luna quickly assured herself that there was nopony in sight; both the fields and the sky were empty.

Beneath the dense foliage of the Everfree Forest though, the gloom had deepened to the point of featureless black. Even Luna's excellent eyesight could barely penetrate the absolute darkness. But now that she was focusing her attention on it, she felt certain that the gaze which pierced through her was coming from the wild forest, and that it was decidedly unfriendly.

Luna's skin crawled as the naked hostility and hatred of the unseen eyes washed over her, and her breath was loud in her ears as she tensed for a possible confrontation. She was Luna, Princess of Equestria, Ruler of the Night. No matter the threat, she was more than equal to it.

She called forth her magic, causing her horn to glow brightly, and turned a determined face to the forest. She warily stood, her muscles taunt and prepared for anything. The light given off by her horn was inadequate to penetrate the depths of the forest's shadows, but Luna thought that she was able to see a patch of shapeless shadows shift against the darkness of the forest.

"Who's there? Reveal yourself!" Luna called out commandingly. She waited a few heartbeats, but nopony stepped forward. Determined to not back down, Luna stepped toward the forest, and she thought that she saw the light from her magic reflect off something metallic. She channeled even more magic into her horn, increasing the light, and called out once again, "I am Princess Luna, identify yourself at once, or face the consequences!"

Just as she was on the cusp of releasing her magic in a blast powerful enough to destroy a large swath of the forest, eliminating whatever was causing the unpleasant sensation, a great swarm of chittering darkness leapt up into the sky a few hundred meters away. The cloud of bats, screeching and swirling around, grabbed Luna's attention and broke her fierce concentration.

Caught by surprise, Luna stared dumbfounded at the swarm of bats while the feeling of being watched slipped away. Abruptly, Luna realized just how silly she was being, quite literally jumping at shadows. The shadows of the Everfree Forest where just that, shadows, nothing more. With a rueful and humorless attempt at a chuckle, Luna let her magic flow back out of her and calmed her pounding heart, certain that she'd cut quite a foalish figure shouting at nothing.

The bats continued to cry out and dive in circles over the part of the forest where they'd erupted into the air, and Luna frowned at the odd behavior. Years of nightly solitude had made her quite familiar with the creatures of the night and their habits, and normal bats did not continue to swoop and dive in one location for very long. Her curiosity piqued, she silently leapt into the night despite her still sore wings and quickly covered the distance to the bats, intent on finding out what horror they'd encountered to get them to behave so strangely.

As Luna drew closer, she found that the target of the bats' ire was a pony huddling on the ground. Even in the dim moonlight, the pony's yellow coat and pink mane were vibrant and easily stood out from the muted shadows. Finding one of her ponies in danger caused Luna's adrenaline to surge, a fierce determination settling over her features as her wings shot her forward with a sharp snap.

In a burst of speed, Luna shot across the remaining distance in an instant and landed like a bolt of lightning. "Desist this attack at once!" Luna thundered. Her shout struck the cloud of bats like a physical blow. They wheeled about in confusion for a moment or two longer, but they all hastily found perches in the nearby trees. They eyed Luna with respect and fear from their upside-down perspectives, a few of the bolder or less intelligent ones darting from tree to tree in agitation.

Satisfied that the bats had been sufficiently cowed, Luna turned her attention to the pony who was still huddled on the ground, her legs, wings, and head tucked down close to her body, and her eyes squeezed tightly shut. The trees of the Everfree were only a few steps away and the darkness of the still young night had given them a sinister aspect, causing them to appear to loom over the cowering pony like great claws or teeth waiting to devour the helpless mare.

Without the screen of bats swirling around the pony, Luna could better make out the long pink mane and gracefully delicate features of Twilight's timid friend, Fluttershy. Remembering the other pony's reaction to her presence at the welcoming party, and not wanting to frighten her any further; Luna carefully approached "Fluttershy," she quietly reassured the still shaking pony, "it's alright. The bats have halted their attack, so there is nothing to be afraid of."

Fluttershy cracked open an eye. Finding Luna looming over her, she let out a small squeak and slammed it shut again, so tightly that a few drops of moisture were squeezed out and rolled down her cheek. She somehow managed to tuck herself into an even tighter ball.

Concerned and a bit hurt by Fluttershy's reaction, Luna backed up, giving the pegasus some space. Fluttershy continued to try and fold herself into a smaller ball until Luna heard a squeak of protest from under the hooves of the yellow pony. Fluttershy's eyes shot open and she hastily sprang up from the ground, her wings fluttering rapidly like a hummingbird's. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Bat," she said apologetically to a furry shadow on the ground. "I hope I wasn't hurting you." The bat, still lying on the ground, let out a series of short squeaks and Fluttershy appeared relieved. "I'm glad that you're okay. Now wait right there and I'll fix your wing."

Luna had been forgotten for the moment, and as she watched on, Fluttershy used her teeth to pluck out several strands of her hair and combined them with a few sticks from the ground to fashion a tiny splint for the injured bat. Luna marveled at Fluttershy's oral adroitness as she delicately crafted the makeshift splint. The bat was still and silent for the most part as Fluttershy worked, but it let out an involuntarily pained screech when Fluttershy straightened out its wing to properly strap it to her impromptu creation. The mass of its batty brethren in the nearby trees began to chirp angrily and flutter their wings in preparation for takeoff, but they were silenced by another stern glare from Luna.

"There we go, all better," Fluttershy cooed with a bright smile for the injured bat. She leaned down and gently picked it up with her mouth and turned to set it above her shoulder, where it happily snuggled into her mane, obviously pleased with its new perch. "We'll get you home in no time at all and get you all rested up and feeling better."

She smiled as the bat nodded in agreement, but her face fell as she looked up and noticed Luna again. She lowered her head and the long strands of her mane curled around her face, protecting her behind a curtain of hair. Her one visible eye turned to towards the ground and she slouched down, attempting to appear as small and non-threatening as possible.

Feeling the need to break the awkward ice between them, Luna ventured, "Fluttershy? You are unharmed, I hope."

Timidly Fluttershy glanced up at Luna and just as quickly looked away. "Yes." If the night hadn't been so silent, Luna likely wouldn't have been able to hear her reply.

"That's good. That you're unharmed," Luna wasn't comfortable with being the one to initiate small talk. She shifted her weight from hoof to hoof, unsure of what the appropriate social protocol was for this situation, and what would best put Fluttershy at ease. A few of the bats flew from one tree to the next, and Luna seized upon the convenient topic. "It's unusual that bats would swarm you in such a manner, isn't it?"

"Yes," Fluttershy replied, slightly louder than before, her eye firmly planted on the ground as she lightly kicked her hoof back and forth, pretending it was the most interesting thing in the world, seemingly unwilling to be pulled into a conversation. Another long, awkward silence stretched out between them before Fluttershy mustered up the courage to explain, "I was gathering some mint when I found this poor little bat on the ground. Apparently he got distracted and flew into a tree. I was trying to help him, but the other bats must have thought I was attacking him. I tried to explain that I just wanted to help, but they wouldn't listen … and well, thank you, Princess Luna."

Luna raised a demurring hoof and waved away Fluttershy's thanks as she replied, "It was nothing at all, and please, call me Luna."

"Oh, um, a-alright, Luna."

Another lengthy silence descended and Luna began to wonder if their conversation had come to a close and she'd simply missed the cue that it was time for her to walk away. The many luminous eyes staring back at them from the forest were beginning to become a bit unnerving, so she raised her voice and called out to the multitude of bats, "As you can see, your companion is being well treated. Fly free, knowing he is in the most capable of hooves."

Twilight had mentioned Fluttershy's affinity for animals, and Luna herself had seen how expertly the pegasus had dressed the injured bat's wing, so she had no doubt that what she'd said was true. The bats were in turn convinced by Luna's declaration and as they filled the night with screeches, they cart-wheeled up into the sky.

"Oh my, I didn't know anypony else could talk to animals like I can," Fluttershy commented, forgetting her fears for a moment as she watched the horde of bats wheeling out of sight, her upturned face fully exposed in the soft moonlight.

"My sister and I have a special connection for the lower order animals," Luna explained, managing for a moment to catch the other pony's moon-filled and limpid eyes. "Though admittedly she is more closely tied with the diurnal animals, while I more easily communicate with those that are nocturnal."

"I-I see." Fluttershy once more became a wilting flower, hiding behind her mane, and Luna was tired of forcing herself on somepony who obviously didn't enjoy her company.

"Well, if you're certain that you're alright, Fluttershy, I shall leave you to enjoy the evening, though I would suggest being careful while being so close to the Everfree Forest at night." Fluttershy didn't respond, and Luna sighed deeply. She looked down at her hooves for a moment as if somehow they held the answer to an unasked question. Then she turned her head towards Ponyville and contemplated its lights and the ponies who made them.

Perhaps an echo of her confusion and sadness over the situation with Twilight made itself known on Luna's face, and for the first time Fluttershy's quiet voice broke the silence without being prompted. "Um, Princess, um, I mean, Luna, is … is everything alright?"

Luna attempted to banish the sorrow from her eyes as she turned back to Fluttershy with a shaky smile that she quickly gave up on. "Alright? Yes, everything is fine. Why wouldn't it be?"

Fluttershy had come out of hiding and intently searched Luna's face for something. Under such intensity, it was Luna's turn to feel a bit shy and withdrawn. "Oh," replied Fluttershy thoughtfully, as if she had just found out something new and interesting. She cut her eyes away in thought for a few moments, then seemed to come to a decision and stood up straighter. "Well, w-would you like to come to my house and have some tea?"

To say that Luna was surprised by Fluttershy's offer would have been a vast understatement. It had been painfully obvious that until that moment, Fluttershy hadn't enjoyed her company, and seemed nearly terrified of the princess' presence. Luna's wide eyes and shocked, questioning eyebrows caused Fluttershy to bow her head a bit once again and nervously add, "Um, that is, if you want to of course."

Realizing that her opportunity to get the skittish pony to open up to her was quickly slipping by, Luna hastily answered, "Of course I want to. I'd love to have tea with you, Fluttershy."

"Oh, good," Fluttershy's head shot back up and she graced Luna with a wide and honestly delighted smile. "Well then, my cottage is right this way." Fluttershy began to gracefully walk away from the Everfree Forest, careful to not jostle the bat she was carrying, and Luna was quick to catch up with her.

Despite Fluttershy's generous invitation and Luna's ready acceptance, they spent the next few minutes in a tense silence, each pony retreating into their own thoughts. However, Fluttershy must have begun growing used to Luna's presence, because she was the first to speak. "It's, um, a nice night."

Luna spared a glance upward to where the partial moon hung amongst the twinkling stars. "It is, thank you." In reality though, the compliment was a bit generous. Luna had been preoccupied that evening and hadn't expended any energy to make the night sky truly spectacular. Faced with her bland work, Luna sighed and concentrated on the ground, looking for safe places to put her hooves. They had passed into a pasture with taller grass, and they weren't following a path, so every once in a while a gopher hole or some other depression lurched out of the darkness, threatening to twist an unwary pony's hoof.

"Are … are you alright, Luna?" Fluttershy hesitantly asked again, following the princess' deep sigh.

Luna turned her head to regard Fluttershy, braving a small smile that died a quick death. She was careful to keep her tone calm and pleasant. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, I just thought that you seemed to have something on your mind, but if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay," Fluttershy kindly replied. Luna noticed that while avoiding obstacles on the ground, they'd begun to walk closer to one another.

Luna did have a lot on her mind, but she didn't want to burden Fluttershy with her self-inflicted problems. She was silent as she thought of what best to say to put Fluttershy at ease without revealing her innermost thoughts.

Fluttershy silently watched Luna for a while as they walked, before she tilted her head back to look up at the stars. Conversationally, almost as if she were speaking to them and not to Luna, she said, "You know, when I was younger, I was much less outgoing."

Luna's eyebrows rose in surprise and she looked up to regard Fluttershy incredulously. It was difficult to imagine her even more reserved than she was now.

Luna's surprise went unnoticed by Fluttershy as the pegasus continued to look up with resolute cheerfulness. "In fact, I hardly talked to anypony, so it was hard for me to make many friends. When something happened to make me feel sad, well, sadder than normal, or angry, or upset, I'd just keep my thoughts to myself, no matter how badly they hurt, and I'd tell myself that if I just waited long enough, the pain would go away. But sometimes … sometimes, it never did."

Fluttershy's mouth turned downward in remembrance, and her eyes became distant and misty for a little while. But she quickly collected herself with a small shake of her head and a friendly smile in Luna's direction. "But when I started making friends, first with all the wonderful animals around Ponyville, and then with other ponies, I found out that just by talking about my feelings and the things that made me feel bad with others, I felt better. And usually, when I talk with my friends about my problems, they can help me see them from a different perspective and can help fix them since they're so much smarter and more outgoing than me."

Luna steps faltered for a few heartbeats from the shock she felt at the sincerity in Fluttershy's voice as she nonchalantly put herself down. She hastily interrupted, leaning closer to the yellow pony to emphasize her point. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. You seem like quite an intelligent and loving young pony."

Fluttershy blushed under Luna's praise and looked away as she bashfully replied, "Oh, thank you." Her easy acceptance of Luna's compliment convinced the princess that Fluttershy hadn't really believed her. Likely she'd brushed aside Luna's words as mere banal pleasantry. Luna wanted to say something meaningful, something to raise Fluttershy's sense of self-worth, but before she found the right words, they crested a low hill and arrived at a large cottage surrounded by several enclosures housing a wide variety of slumbering animals.

In the darkness, the cottage seemed lonely and forlorn, especially with the distant lights of Ponyville as a backdrop. It struck Luna as odd that Fluttershy would choose to live so far from other ponies, and as a pegasus, would want to live so close to the ground. But she couldn't think of a polite way to bring the subject up, and didn't want to risk alienating her new friend.

"Here we are," Fluttershy cheerfully but quietly announced, careful not to wake the sleeping animals as the two ponies made their way to a door nestled at the base of the cottage's foliage. "Hmm, the house is still dark, Angel must still be out. I hope he gets home soon, it's nearly his bed time." She opened the door wide and boldly strode into the darkness beyond; dispelling it a few seconds later by lighting a lamp perched on a small table near the door.

Fluttershy moved deeper into the house, turning on lights as she went. However, Luna paused on the threshold, taking in the cottage's rather cozy interior. The sitting room, which opened just off the entryway, was filled with an eclectic collection of quaint furniture and a wide variety of homes for small animals. From the many birdhouses along the ceiling and walls, to the holes in the baseboards for mice and other small terrestrial creatures, there were several eyes glowing in the light, blearily watching the two ponies entering the house.

A bit overwhelmed at first by just how crowded Fluttershy's home was, Luna belatedly followed after her, closing the door and shutting out the night behind them.

"There we are, home safe and sound," Fluttershy called out in a lilting, singsong voice as she carefully untangled the bat from her mane and set it down on a padded table. Over her shoulder she called out to Luna, "Feel free to make yourself at home, Luna. I just need to fix up Mr. Bat, and then I'll get the tea ready. If that's okay with you of course."

"Oh yes, that will be fine, Fluttershy," replied Luna as she distractedly drifted further into the house, pausing next to a well-used and comfortable sofa.

Fluttershy leaned down and gently nuzzled the injured bat. "Now you stay right there, Mr. Bat, and I'll be right back with the things to make you feel all better." It chirped happily as she trotted out of the room, but otherwise dutifully stayed still.

Luna made a slow circuit of the room, paying particular attention to the lower holes in the wall where one could expect a reptile to be lurking. However, no snakes or any other cold-blooded monstrosities appeared, and the few curious animals who did poke their heads out upon her arrival quickly deemed her a non-threat and retreated back into their nests and burrows. Her turn around the room complete, Luna settled down onto the well-worn sofa, and found that it was just as comfortable as it had appeared. It felt good to rest her hoofs and wings as she waited for her hostess to return.

Before too long, Fluttershy's light steps could be heard returning, and she reentered the room with a large white case with a thick red cross emblazoned on the cover, hanging from her mouth. She set it down next to the bat, and hummed to herself as she opened it and began to take various bottles and rolls of gauze out. Not having anything more interesting to occupy her, Luna watched as Fluttershy gracefully worked, expertly removing her makeshift splint, then cleaning off the bat's wound. With practiced ease, she wrapped a new, more substantial splint made of gauze and wide slats of wood around the bat's wounded wing, after rubbing in a pungent ointment.

"All done," Fluttershy joyfully announced as she bit off the last bit of gauze. She quickly packed her medical kit back up and nuzzled the bat once more. "Who's my brave little bat?" The bat in question chirped excitedly and Fluttershy smiled widely as she happily replied, "That's right, you are!" She gently picked the bat up and held it in her hoof; she then hovered across the room to where a series of perches were mounted into the wall. As she helped the bat cling to one of them, she admonished it, "Now try not to fly around for the next few days, or you'll hurt your wing again, okay?" The bat squeaked happily in reply and Fluttershy smiled down at it before she flew to the nearest lamp and dimmed its light. "Would it be alright with you if we have tea in the kitchen, Luna?"

Luna answered Fluttershy's question as softly as it had been asked. "That would be fine, Fluttershy. I wouldn't want to disturb the rest of your animals." Although she did feel a bit of reluctance as she left the sofa. Its cozying comfort had reminded her just how fatigued she was feeling, and it seemed almost as if every time she blinked, it was just a bit more difficult to open her eyes again. But she shook off her lassitude and followed Fluttershy through another doorway into a small and cozy kitchen.

"Just sit down right here, and I'll get the tea ready," Fluttershy said in the same tone of voice she'd been using with the bat earlier, as she gestured toward the seats surrounding the kitchen's table. She quickly added in a much less confident tone, "I mean, if you want to that is."

Luna quickly took a seat at the table and shot a reassuring smile at the pegasus. Fluttershy shakily returned the smile and turned her attention to the nearby stove. She soon had it lit, bringing a kettle of water to a boil. As the water was heating, she flittered around the kitchen, collecting various canister, cups, jars, and several delicate sandwiches that she placed on a tea service next to the stove. She'd just finished assembling everything when the kettle began to whistle.

With careful but deft movements, she picked up a pot holder with her mouth and filled the teapot with the boiling water from the kettle. It seemed to Luna that it would be painful to hold a heavy kettle at such an odd angle, craning her neck like that, but before she could offer her assistance, Fluttershy had replaced the kettle on the stove and had carried the tea service over to the table.

Fluttershy carefully picked up the saucer one of the cups rested on and placed it in front of her, while Luna levitated the other cup toward her, plucking up a couple of sugar cubes from the small sugar dish nestled amongst the other tea things. She slowly stirred her cup, and watched as the dark tea swirled and the lumps of sugar melted away into the dim whirlpool.

Lost in thought, Luna was abruptly recalled to reality by Fluttershy quietly asking, "So, have you been having a good time in Ponyville so far?" Luna looked up, caught a bit off-guard. Under her bewildered stare, Fluttershy wilted a little, her half-raised wings drooped down, and she looked away. "Um, I mean, I know it's not as big as Fillydelphia or Cloudsdale, and there's not as much to do here, but um, I … I like it." Her voice had steadily lowered as she spoke, until it had tapered out as a whisper, and it was her turn to stare into her teacup as if it held the answers to all of life's questions.

Luna set her spoon down and replied, "Oh yes, I've enjoyed myself very much here. Perhaps it's not the largest, or most lively of towns, but Ponyville has a unique charm to it." Luna chuckled slightly and Fluttershy smiled timidly in shared amusement. Lost in thought, idly contemplating a nearby vase of purplish flowers, Luna wistfully continued, "Yes, Ponyville has an attraction I don't think any other town could possibly offer."

Fluttershy leaned forward and rested her hooves on the table as she asked, "Because this is where Nightmare Moon was defeated?"

"In part, I suppose you could say that," Luna thoughtfully admitted as she too leaned forward and studied her hooves which she had placed on either side of her teacup. "But I was actually alluding to the fact that this is where my friends reside. Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash… and you, I hope."

"Me?" Fluttershy asked, her eyes going wide with surprise and her wings fluttering slightly in excitement. "You want me to be your friend?"

A flicker of uncertainty crossed Luna's face as she replied, "Well, yes. At least, if you think that I'm worthy of being your friend. I know that I have done many reprehensible things in the past, and you'd be more than justified to hold them against me." Her brow furrowed slightly as she somewhat bitterly added, "I know that other ponies do."

"Oh no, I mean, yes! I mean, I'd never judge you for the things Nightmare Moon did, and I'd love to be your friend." Fluttershy excitedly declared, leaning further over the table, nearly putting herself nose to nose with Luna. She hastily pulled back and in a calmer, more dejected tone, said, "That is, if you're sure that it's okay for somepony like you to be friends with somepony like me. I mean, you're a princess, and I'm nopony special."

Luna tilted her head in consideration of the pegasus across from her for a moment, weighing her words, before she replied, "But you are somepony special, Fluttershy. You're one of the ponies who I'd be more than honored to call a friend. One who helped me overcome what I was and become somepony better. I can't ever thank you enough for that, and I … well," Luna's face clouded as she thought of the many ponies she'd met after her release from Nightmare Moon. "You and the other ponies of Ponyville have been the kindest and most understanding of ponies I've met with. You don't treat me as some sort of monster or a threat to be locked away." Luna's eyes hardened as she looked into the past, at all the other ponies who hadn't been so kind.

Across the table it seemed as if Fluttershy couldn't decide between being concerned, anxious, or happy, but she reached her hoof across the table and took one of Luna's in hers. "Luna, I'd love to be your friend," she said in flustered happiness, her voice louder and more confident than Luna had ever heard it before.

A bit surprised by the contact, Luna looked down at the hoof holding hers, then up at its owner. In Fluttershy's warm smile and unguarded eyes she found only acceptance and caring. It surprised her, how hard, and yet how easy, it was to make a new friend. Had it always been this way? Could she have perhaps reached out her hoof all those years ago and found somepony else reaching back for her? Would she have always been fated to be so lonely?

As the warmth from Fluttershy's acceptance of her friendship mingled with the chill of her dark past, Luna's eyes misted with the unshed tears of chances long lost and mistakes long beyond repair. Slowly she pulled her hooves from Fluttershy's, and politely cleared her throat as she turned her attention back down to her teacup. "Thank you," she whispered down at the table. The next few minutes were filled with a companionable silence broken as both ponies turned their thoughts inward, sipping at their tea and sampling the simple sandwiches Fluttershy had laid out.

Luna found herself relaxing in the comfortable company of a pony who seemed to appreciate quietness, and didn't feel the need to fill the silence with inane chatter. She was reluctant to break the pleasant atmosphere, but at the same time she wanted to know her new friend better.

She took a final sip of tea before setting down her cup and observing, "So, Fluttershy, you seem to enjoy taking care of animals very much." She gestured with a hoof toward a nearby set of birdhouses built into the wall.

Fluttershy looked up from her own cup and glanced over at the birdhouses with a smile. "Oh yes, I just love all of my animal friends. They're just so cute and friendly; they just need somepony to look after them sometimes."

"I would have thought that a pegasus pony wouldn't be all that interested in the more terrestrial animals. Most of the pegasi I've met have little concern for what goes on at ground level," Luna said with a small, surprised shake of her head.

"I guess I'm not a very good pegasus," Fluttershy cheerfully admitted as she sat up straighter. "Ever since my first visit to the ground, when I met all the wonderful creatures down here, I couldn't help but fall in love with them right away. Back in Cloudsdale there were only clouds and other ponies. But here in Ponyville, there are so many animals to see and to meet. Almost every day I find a new animal friend, and they're almost as good as my pony friends, but I usually don't have to worry about whether they like me or not, like I do with other ponies."

Fluttershy's eyebrows rose in surprise at what she'd let slip and she paused to take another delicate sip of her tea, her eyes probing Luna's for a reaction. Luna was intrigued by just how much the normally reticent pony had to say, and silently implored her to continue with a gaze over the rim of her teacup.

Fluttershy blushed and cleared her throat. "Anyway, I like it a lot here in Ponyville. Back in Cloudsdale I was just another pegasus, and I didn't have many friends because I wasn't that great a flier. But here, I have so many friends, both pony and animal, and they rely on me for things, at least the animals do, and it feels nice to help others and to be needed."

"If Twilight's letters are any indication, I'm sure your pony friends depend on you just as much."

"Oh, that's kind of you to say," Fluttershy had a strange smile that pulled at Luna's heart, but the mood of the room had chilled and she could sense that they had entered into an area of conversation that Fluttershy wasn't comfortable with, so she moved to a safer topic.

"You must encounter all manner of strange creatures by living so close to the Everfree Forest."

"Oh yes," Fluttershy eagerly said, her face brightening, and the mood in the room lightening as a result. "There are all sorts of animals who live around Ponyville and in the Everfree Forest. Although most of the larger predators usually star far away from town, so we don't see them too often. Though I have had to give a stern talking to some of them, a few grumpy lions, and tigers, and bears."

"Oh my." Luna was quite impressed by Fluttershy's off-hoofed comment. Despite her reluctance to speak up for herself in front of other ponies, she seemed to possess a strength and courage that few could claim. It wasn't everypony who could casually mention that they'd stood up to a wide variety of carnivores, all much larger than the petite pony.

Fluttershy seemed unaware of her own feats as she nonchalantly continued, "But even with all the wild animals in the Everfree Forest, there are some species in Equestria that I've only heard about. Animals from places I've never been, and ones who are so rare that only a few ponies have ever seen them. I'd love to meet an alicanto or a bennu, I've heard all about them, but there're so few that I don't think I'll ever get the chance to see one."

After a moment of thought, Luna helpfully suggested, "Have you tried the Canterlot Zoo? From what I've heard they pride themselves on having a wide range of Equestrian fauna."

Fluttershy's face fell and her voice was subdued as she replied, "The zoo's … nice. But it's just not the same. I'd like to meet them face to face, not just watch them from behind a fence. Besides, I can't help but feel sorry for the poor animals there, I can't imagine that they could be happy being stuck in the same little pen day after day."

Not wanting to see her new friend upset, Luna quickly suggested, "Then how about the Royal Gardens? I don't believe that our collection is as extensive as the zoo's, but from what Celestia has told me, she's gathered a wide range of animals and plants representing all of Equestria."

Instead of perking up at the suggestion, Fluttershy actually seemed to duck down lower in her seat. "A-actually, I uh, I've been there already. But the animals there didn't seem to like me too much."

"Oh?"

"Yes. At the last Grand Galloping Gala, I visited the Royal Gardens to meet the animals there, but I got a little frustrated and only managed to scare them away."Fluttershy shamefully admitted. "I was expecting them to love me right away, like my animals here in Ponyville do, but I forgot that it takes time to get to know one another and become friends."

Fluttershy's heartwarming admission prompted Luna to offer, "Well, if it's only time that you need in order to befriend the animals in the Royal Gardens, feel free to come to Canterlot as often as you'd like to visit them."

"Really?" Fluttershy asked with cautious hope.

Luna thought over her offer for a moment. Truthfully the gardens were Celestia's, not hers, but she saw no reason why her sister wouldn't allow such a nice pony to visit them. And she couldn't let herself disappoint the hopeful pony across from her. If Celestia did have any reservations, then Luna would just have to have a firm conversation with her.

"Of course, Fluttershy, you're my friend, and as such you're welcome to the Canterlot Palace as my guest whenever you care to visit. That way you'll have all the opportunities you could wish for to become better acquainted with the palace's animals. And if anypony takes exception to that, then I promise you, they'll answer to me."

"Oh, thank you!" Fluttershy cried out exuberantly as she darted around the table to warmly embrace Luna. Her soft legs gently but tightly wrapped around Luna's neck, causing the princess to blush in embarrassment for a moment before she relaxed enough to tentatively reach up and wrap her own legs around Fluttershy, careful to not accidentally crush the pegasus' wings.

She relaxed her neck and laid her head down on Fluttershy's mane, breathing in her rather herbal scent.

After a few moments, Fluttershy pulled away and held Luna at leg's length calming down from her momentary euphoria. "That would be wonderful, thank you, Luna." Once more her bashful self, Fluttershy fluttered over to the seat next to Luna's.

Her face still flushed from being so close to Fluttershy, Luna's thoughts turned to the other pony she'd been so intimate with lately. A bit tremulously, Luna observed, "Fluttershy, you seem like you know much about friendhip."

Fluttershy smiled demurely and replied, "Who me? Oh no, I've only had friends for a little while. I'm still learning about what friendship really means."

"I think the same could be said for us all," Luna sighed. She turned an inquisitive glance toward the pegasus. "But, nonetheless, I'd like your opinion on a relationship."

Fluttershy's smile fell a little as she realized how serious Luna had become. "Well, if you think I could help…"

Luna studied the table for a moment, trying to best formulate her thoughts in order to not betray that it was her relationship that she was concerned about. "Hypothetically speaking, let us say that there are two friends, and they enjoy each other's company a great deal. But one of the friends has a secret that she's been keeping from the other. A secret that she knows she should tell, and one she knows will hurt her friend to hear. Now the friend with the secret wants desperately to tell the other pony because she knows the longer the secret is kept, the more it will hurt both her and her friend with the truth is revealed." Luna grimaced as she studied her hooves, knowing if she looked up her eyes would betray her feelings. "But she's scared that the secret's gone untold for too long already and when she reveals the truth to her friend, her friend will be so hurt that she won't want to be friends any longer. So, what do you think the friend with the secret should do? Hypothetically speaking of course."

She stared down into the tepid remnants of her tea, afraid to read Fluttershy's expression during the long silence that stretched out after she ceased talking, while Fluttershy thought over the problem.

Eventually though, Fluttershy's soft voice filled the quiet kitchen. "Well, it seems to me that this 'friend' has already made up their mind to tell the secret, right?" Luna nodded weakly. "Then she should tell her friend as soon as possible. Even if the truth will hurt for a little while, it will hurt worse later on." She reached over and put a comforting hoof on Luna's shoulder, causing the princess to look up into Fluttershy's warm and comforting face. "Besides, if they're really friends, and they're both good ponies, then I know they can work through whatever this secret is. Friends always forgive each other, eventually."

"Do you really think so?" Luna beseechingly asked.

There was a twinkle in Fluttershy's eye as she confidently replied, "Yes. Hypothetically speaking of course."

Luna chuckled lightly at Fluttershy's joke, feeling relieved by her words. With a renewed resolve, she silently promised herself and Twilight to reveal the truth as soon as possible.

Their peace was brought to an end by a loud crash that reverberated through the house, causing Luna to jump and pull away from Fluttershy. The pegasus was much calmer than Luna, and merely smiled sweetly, saying, "Oh, Angel's home."

She swooped over to the door leading back to the parlor, and Luna reluctantly followed after her hostess, her heart still racing from the unexpected interruption, but unwilling to let the gentle Fluttershy face an unknown danger alone.

However, instead of the huge, hulking creature she imagined would have created such a loud commotion, Luna found a small white rabbit walking through the front door which had been thrown wide open, escorted by Spike.

"… So then I say, 'Topaz, are you crazy?'" The rabbit seemed to be absently nodding at whatever Spike was saying, but upon seeing Luna, he came to an abrupt stop. He ran his eyes appraisingly over the princess, and then cocked an eyebrow at Fluttershy before questioning looking back at Luna once more.

"Welcome home, Angel," Fluttershy greeted him warmly, flying over and gently cradling him in her forelegs. She flew back over to Luna and introduced them. "Luna, this is Angel, my pet bunny. Angel, this is Luna, my new friend."

Supposing that Fluttershy cared for this rabbit as much as Celestia cared for her phoenix, Luna took the introduction seriously and stated, "Hello, Angel, it is a pleasure to meet you."

The rabbit looked at her for a few long seconds, clearly unimpressed, then squirmed out of Fluttershy's grasp and hopped away. He paused only long enough to snap in Fluttershy's direction and jerk his head toward the kitchen before disappearing through the doorway.

"I'm sorry, Luna, Angel gets a little upset when he's hungry. I'll just go get his dinner ready and I'll be right back."

"That's quite alright," Luna replied though it did feel strange to be so easily brushed off by such a small creature. As Fluttershy darted back into the kitchen, Luna tried to forget the rabbit's slight, and turned her attention to the small dragon that had paused to wipe his feet on the mat in front of the door. "But what are you doing here, Spike? It's starting to get late. Shouldn't you be back at the library with Twilight?"

"She kicked me out again," he grumbled. "Hey, Fluttershy, is it okay if I spend the night with you again?" he called into the other room.

Fluttershy floated into the doorway and replied, "Of course it is, Spike. I'll go get the guest basket ready." She gracefully swooped up the nearby stairs, and the soft click of a door latch being opened echoed back down to them.

Luna's eyebrows raised in surprise at Spike's news. "She kicked you out?"

"Yeah, it's happened a couple of times before, when she gets real moody and upset and 'wants to be alone,'" Spike nonchalantly replied, doing air-quotes with his claws. "She doesn't really kick me out; I just usually try to find someplace else to sleep for a day or two. Have you ever been around a moping unicorn? It's kind of a pain."

The thought of Twilight moping, of being upset in anyway, caused a small, dull ache in Luna's chest. A pain which promptly led to thoughts of why Twilight would be upset, why she should feel sad, and how Twilight's current condition was her fault. "I-I think I'd better go check on Twilight if she's feeling upset," Luna announced to the room in general, no longer really seeing Spike, her thoughts too full of Twilight to be concerned with the present.

"Hey, it's your funeral," Spike helpfully chimed in.

Fluttershy descended the stairs and informed Spike, "Your basket's all set up, Spike."

Luna quickly turned to Fluttershy and hastily said, "I thank you for your hospitality, Fluttershy. Your tea was most excellent. However I feel that I must leave, there are a great many things I must discuss with Twilight."

Fluttershy looked down at Luna from her vantage still on the stairs, and warmly said, "I think that's a good idea, Luna. And I hope that you – I mean, your friend and her friend, work everything out."

Luna leveled a calculating gaze at Fluttershy for a moment. She could swear that the yellow pegasus knew that the situation she'd outlined earlier wasn't hypothetical at all. Could she have figured out that Luna hadn't been speaking hypothetically at all? She'd used a similar gambit many times with Celestia and her clever sister had never seen through it, or so she'd thought. But Luna put aside her dawning realization; there were more important matters at hoof.

"Thank you, so do I." she quickly brushed past Spike and strode through the front door. Almost before she had cleared the threshold, she'd taken flight, silently beating her wings against the cooling night air, the lights of Ponyville reflecting in her eyes.

The night was still young and most of the buildings in Ponyville blazed with light. There were even several ponies out walking the streets, but Luna paid no mind to them as she swiftly flew through the town and landed in front of the darkened library. She paused in front of its door and took a steadying breath. Whatever the next few minutes held for her, she knew that her life would never be the same.

A cloud of butterflies seemed to be bumbling around in her stomach, and for the briefest of moments, she flirted with the idea of leaving things as they were. Would it really be all that terrible of her to keep the truth hidden? But looking up at the unusually dark library windows, and recalling Spike's words about Twilight's sadness, allowed Luna to screw her courage to the sticking place and banish all unnecessary thoughts, worries, and concerns from her mind, allowing her to focus on Twilight, and the truth she deserved.

Her pre-battle jitters under control, Luna stood straight and tall. She confidently opened the library's door, or at least she tried to. It was locked, possibly dead-bolted too. This unforeseen difficulty hadn't really been in her plan. In her mind's eye, she had seen herself confidently throwing the door open, striding into the library, announcing the truth to Twilight, and then donning a metaphorical blindfold in preparation for whatever punishment Twilight meted out for Luna's transgression. She wasn't sure what she could do to make it up to Twilight, but she was prepared to perform any task, any penance that Twilight demanded.

Thankfully for the current dilemma of getting past the door, while Celestia's magical talents tended toward the extravagant and flashy, Luna's were more subtle and subdued. Instead of forcing the door open as undoubtedly Celestia would have, Luna sent a tiny tendril of starry magic through the keyhole, pushing the tumblers out of the way, and continuing through to unbolt the deadbolt. And unfasten the door's chain. And pull up the hoof bolt. Whatever Twilight was feeling, she had apparently wished to be uninterrupted.

Silently Luna eased the door open and slipped through into the solid darkness beyond. She just as quietly closed the door behind her and stood still for a moment, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkened room, illuminated only by the faint glow coming from the windows. Twilight wasn't in the library proper, but as she waited for her eyes to adjust, Luna's ears picked up a faint sound coming from the direction of Twilight's bedroom. It sounded like the skid of a hoof or a hastily sucked in breath. On silent wings Luna few up the stairs.

Unlike the heavily secured front door, the door to Twilight's room was cracked open and a dim purplish light shone through the gap. Noiselessly Luna nudged the door open a bit further, and after taking in the sight beyond, felt unbidden tears spring to her eyes.

Twilight was sitting on the floor in the middle of the lower half of her room. A single candle was trying its best to illuminate her surroundings, but its light was overpowered by the purplish glow of Twilight's magic. She was sitting only partially facing away from the door and under normal circumstances she would have easily caught Luna's nudging it open in her peripheral vision. But though Luna could trace the sorrowful contours of Twilight's face and the track of each of her tears, Twilight was heedless of Luna's presence; far too engrossed in the dozens of unrolled scrolls she had fanned out before her, held aloft by her magic.

Even from the door it was possible to make out the opening sentences of many of the letters, written in a slightly larger hoof than the rest of the tiny but elegant writing. A hoofwriting that was as familiar as Luna's own. "To my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle; To my beloved student, Twilight; To my most cherished student …" They were all from Celestia, and judging by the disarray the room was in, as if Twilight had ransacked it in search of them, as well as by the sheer number she had spread out before her, it was quite possible it was every piece of correspondence her sister had ever sent Twilight. And here Twilight was, sitting in the dark, crying over them like a love struck filly.

As Luna watched, a tear rolled off Twilight's cheek and fell onto the letter she was reading, soaking into the paper and blotching the ink, and Luna felt as if a monumental weight settled down onto her heart. As if somehow the entire moon had been squeezed into her chest and was crushing the air out of her lungs.

Before the next tear could fall, Luna rushed into the room and tightly wrapped Twilight in her hooves, folding her wings around them, to offer her friend some semblance of safety and protection.

"Shhh, it's alright, Twilight, it's alright," Luna murmured comforting nothings as she nuzzled Twilight's mane.

"Luna, you came back?" Twilight was hastily trying to rub the tears from her eyes, hide her letters, and awkwardly return Luna's surprise hug, all at the same time. Predictably she wasn't able to do any of them very well.

"Of course I came back, why wouldn't I?" Luna whispered into Twilight's ear.

Twilight's voice was thick with tears and Luna couldn't help but wonder how she could still look so adorable even with her nose leaking slightly. "Well, Princess Celestia got tired of me, and then you … well, I – I thought …"

Luna shushed her again and gently said "Don't worry, Twilight, I'll always be by your side. As long as you want me there." Luna could tell that Twilight was still discombobulated by her abrupt appearance, but the mention of her sister's name had been enough to cut through the instinctive protectiveness that had obliterated all her other thoughts. In its place a now familiar dread began to settle.

Slowly, and with reluctance, Luna separated herself from Twilight. She tilted her head down and stared into Twilight's luminescent eyes. "Twilight, you still care deeply for Celestia, don't you?" Twilight tried to sputter a reply, but Luna held up a forewarning hoof and with a significant glance at the scattered letters sadly continued, "You don't have to answer. I – I know." She could feel her throat tighten and her voice rose a little in pitch as she searched for the right words. "Twilight, I know how it feels to love someone who never seems to have enough time for you, but just because they have many claims on their attention, I think … I think ..." Luna sighed, knowing what she had to say, but unsure of just how to get there. "Well, I think too much sometimes to be honest. And I … Twilight…" This was harder than she had thought it was going to be, but as she gazed into Twilight's steadfast but tearstained eyes, Luna knew she couldn't ever let Twilight feel bad enough to cry again. So she took a calming breath and said, "Twilight, Celestia loves you very much. She always has, and always will, no matter what. I think the best thing for you to do is to write her a letter and tell her everything. Explain to her your fears, your hopes, and most importantly your feelings. Tell her about your last visit to Canterlot and what you saw there. Tell her about how you feel about being replaced, and how you feel for her. Hold nothing back. Tell her the complete and absolute truth, no matter how silly or unimportant or painful you think it is. Just tell her … tell her everything."

"But Luna, are you sure? I mean you said –"

Luna cut her off angrily, angry at herself, not Twilight, never Twilight. "I know what I said, and at the time I thought I was right. I thought I was giving you good advice, but I wasn't." Luna sighed deeply and closed her eyes, afraid to even look at her friend any longer. "Just, please, Twilight, write Celestia and tell her everything you've told me, and everything you haven't too."

Twilight stared intently into Luna's eyes, and seemed to find something there. She was much more composed when she simply said, "Alright."

Luna smiled a broken and desolate smile, and pulled further away from Twilight, giving the mostly recomposed unicorn the space she needed to collect her thoughts and prepare her most important letter to Celestia. Feeling she was now only in the way, Luna continued to back away, until she reached the door leading to Twilight's balcony. With a final look at the now completely occupied Twilight, who was going about straightening papers, lighting candles, and gathering quills, Luna walked through it and back out into the lonely night. With cold resolve she turned her back to the now well-lit glass doors and tried to take what cold comfort she could from the impossibly distant stars.

Twilight would know everything soon, but she'd had enough unmitigated sadness for one night, enough in Luna's opinion for the rest of her life. She deserved at least a moment of happiness that Celestia's reply would doubtlessly bring her, untempered for at least one precious instant by the news of Luna's betrayal. And perhaps the sting of Luna's actions wouldn't be as hurtful once Twilight was buoyed by Celestia's reavowal of her feelings for her student.

The lights of Ponyville began to fade, one by one, and the stars overhead began to twinkle, waver, and blur from the unshed tears welling up in Luna's eyes. How could she have been so heartless, so cruel? How had she been able to sleep at night knowing that her friendship with Twilight was a lie? Luna snorted in self-derision. She had been able to sleep so easily because she'd been in the wrapped in Twilight's hooves, and somehow she'd been able to delude herself that she could supplant Celestia's place in Twilight's life. As if a lifelong relationship such as theirs was easily cast aside when somepony new came along.

Luna bowed her head and felt her tears begin to trickle down the length of her nose. Truthfully, she hadn't known the depth of Twilight's feelings for Celestia until just a few short minutes ago. Could she possibly be excused for her ignorance? Was it alright to be happy so long as her eyes were closed to the suffering of her friend?

The image of a bent and defeated Twilight mournfully poring over the remembrances of her favored instructor easily came back to Luna's mind. Indeed, it was hard to be rid of it; the painful sight had been indelibly seared into her thoughts. Luna deserved no excuses, anypony who could bring a mare as wonderful as Twilight to such a miserable state was unquestionably guilty.

As her tears for what was, and for what could have been flowed more freely, they coursed down her face and fell to the balcony floor, disappearing into the night's darkness. If there was one tiny thing to be grateful for, it was that her heart hadn't been broken under the sun's watchful rays. The shadowy night seemed made for hiding the tears of the lost and the lonely. Sorrow, especially the bittersweet pain Luna was feeling, was a private and personal experience. Under the harsh glare of the sun everything a pony said or did was shared with the world, but under the comforting and obscuring blanket of night, when a pony was alone with their thoughts, misery could be best experienced alone. After all, when you laughed, the world laughed with you, and when you wept, you wept alone.

The door behind her clicked open and a few hesitant hoofsteps ventured out onto the balcony.

"Luna," Twilight called out to her with uncertainty, "I wrote the letter, but Spike's not here, so there's no way to send it."

With a tiny brush of magic Luna dried her eyes and composed her face, then turned to Twilight with a painted on smile. "You're finished already? Wasn't that rather quick, Twilight?"

Even with almost the only source of light spilling from the doorway behind her, throwing her face into shadow, it was easy for Luna to see Twilight's demure blush as she embarrassedly replied, "Well, I guess I had a lot to say, and when I began to write, I just kept writing and writing as fast as my quill could go."

"I see. Well, don't worry, my sister and I have a special connection to one another which allows us to send objects back and forth. I'd be more than happy to send your letter to her."

Twilight turned her head and floated a rather thick packet of papers out of her room, and Luna cocked an eyebrow at just how much Twilight had written in such a short amount of time. "You have been busy it seems."

Twilight blushed again and ducked her head a bit. "Well, you told me to write what I felt, and when I started to write about that, I just couldn't stop until I'd written everything."

"I … know how that feels," Luna quietly admitted. For a moment she simply contemplated the massive letter, still being held up by Twilight's magic. A mocking laughter reverberated through her mind as she realized that in the end, she would be the instrument that would help bring Celestia and Twilight back together after all. It would have hurt so much less if she'd simply done it a few days earlier. Almost angrily she sent out a wave of magic, vaporizing the papers into a thick cloud of smoke that churned for a moment before it slinked off the side of the balcony, moving toward Canterlot. Brusquely Luna turned around, away from Twilight, ostensibly to watch the message's progress.

"So," Twilight's voice was taut with concern poorly hidden beneath forced cheerfulness. "Do you really think this is a good idea, Luna? I mean, I know that Princess Celestia's a busy pony and I'd hate to interrupt her with the petty problems of a single pony."

Was this a good idea? From the perspective of Luna's personal happiness, no it wasn't. But this wasn't about Luna, it was about Twilight. Refusing to look back at the other pony, Luna quietly but earnestly said, "Celestia will always have time for her ponies, especially you, Twilight. Don't be so quick to discard your feelings, or your pain, as meaningless. After a time, the affairs of state and the insipid personalities that drive them become boorish. But when it comes to our friends, to the ones we love and care for, their thoughts and feelings take on an importance beyond measure."

"But still, what if it's like you said?" Twilight could no longer hide the anxiety from her voice as she walked around Luna to catch her eyes. "What if Princess Celestia's been pushing me away because she thinks I'm capable of being on my own? What if this is a test to prove that I'm good enough to be her student? What if I just failed by telling her how much I missed her and how I'm jealous of her new student, and how sometimes I wish she'd never sent me to Ponyville and it was still just the two of us?"

Luna was surprised by just how much it hurt to hear Twilight admitting her preference for her older sister. It felt as if some malevolent creature had reached into her chest and mercilessly squeezed down on what it had found there.

Twilight must have noticed something in Luna's silence and quickly added, "Though I only felt that way when I first came here, before I got to know my friends as well as I have. I mean it would be great to live in Canterlot with you and Princess Celestia and study magic every day, but I don't think that I could leave my friends behind." Her voice rose a few octaves and regained its anxious tone. "But that's not the issue here. What if I've failed, what if I've disappointed Princess Celestia by admitting that I'm not as strong or as independent as she thinks I should be?"

Luna sadly watched Twilight as she began to burn off her nervous energy by pacing back and forth across the balcony as she spoke. Had anypony ever been so concerned with Luna's thoughts or acceptance? Celestia was lucky to have such a devoted student.

"Twilight," she continued to pace and Luna sighed before raising her voice enough to intrude upon Twilight's thoughts. "Twilight, you aren't in school anymore. There aren't any more tests, other than the ones we set for ourselves. The letter you sent Celestia wasn't an admission of failure, and Celestia won't think any less of you for sending it. If anything, she would have been disappointed if you hadn't sent it. Feelings are something nopony should be ashamed of, only of hiding them." Luna noticed that Twilight had stopped pacing and was avidly hanging onto her words with a naked hopefulness. Luna cut her eyes away, uncomfortable with the role of Twilight's trusted advisor. "Just remember, you're a grown pony now, just like the rest of us. The fears and doubts you have are the ones we all share. We all think and feel, love and hate, but none of us know everything with absolute certainty, and all of us are fallible." Especially me, she silently added.

Twilight considered her word for a little while, but further conversation was prevented by the appearance of a tiny but impossibly bright dot of light that flamed into existence in front of Luna. It rapidly grew larger and larger until it exploded in a blinding flash accompanied by a deceptively quiet popping sound. In the space it had occupied, there was a bound scroll still shedding a bit of sundust. Before it could fall to the ground, it was snatched up by Twilight's magic. She stared at it fearfully, but her momentary pause was more than made up for by how quickly she broke the seal and unrolled the scroll, holding it up to read.

Luna could tell it was significantly shorter than the letter Twilight had sent to Celestia, but it was longer than the majority of Celestia's correspondence. She watched Twilight's face as she quickly read the letter, and could feel an oppressive weight settling on her as Twilight transitioned from anxious fear, to astonished hope, to disbelieving joy, and finally to tearful happiness as she reached the final line.

"Good news, I hope?" Luna asked in a voice scarcely more than a whisper. Any louder and she wouldn't trust her voice to not betray her pain at having Celestia not only win once again, but at something so precious.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!" Twilight gleefully exclaimed as she hopped around Luna with unbridled excitement. "This is the best news ever!" She calmed herself and stayed still long enough to once more read the letter, her face so close to it that Luna was certain that her nose would be stained by the ink.

"Listen to this, Luna, 'My dearest and most beloved student, Twilight Sparkle,' You were right, Luna, she does still care! 'I've just read your letter, and I must admit that it has left me with a sense of relief that I've not felt in some time. To be honest, I had believed that it was you who was pulling away from our relationship, Twilight. That you had simply outgrown your boring old teacher. But I'm glad, so very glad, that I was wrong. Know this Twilight, no matter what happens or how much time passes; you will always be somepony special to me.'"

Twilight gave out a high pitched squeal and her dancing eyes turned toward Luna long enough for her to ask, "Isn't that great, Luna? We were wrong about Princess Celestia, she wasn't trying to push me away or give me space."

"That's … wonderful."

Luna's less than enthused tone was lost on Twilight as she quickly turned back to the letter and pointed out, "And here she says that Bay Breeze isn't her new apprentice, merely a student at her school, and down here she explains how she was distant because of the tough negotiations between the griffons and the dragons. Oh, this is so wonderful, Luna, everything is alright again, Princess Celestia still loves me!"

Suffused with happiness, true unadulterated happiness, Twilight was radiant. Her eyes danced and glowed with an inner fire, a spark of life that only now in its presence, could Luna appreciate that it had been absent for the past few weeks. It was like seeing a favorite painting in a new light and realizing you'd never truly seen its beauty before. The soft light emanating from the bedroom seemed to grow brighter as it haloed Twilight, perfectly accentuating her joyous smile and soft curves.

Luna tore her gaze away and mournfully stared into the depthless shadows of the night. With a whisper, unable to trust her voice to remain firm under the monumental weight she felt pressing down on her, Luna asked, "Twilight, could you forgive me if I did something horrible?"

For a moment Luna thought that Twilight hadn't heard her softly spoken words, but she didn't dare to face her friend to see.

"Haven't we already gone over that?" Twilight asked with slight exasperation blunted by the cheerfulness she couldn't seem to contain. "Everypony's already forgiven you for becoming Nightmare Moon. That's all in the past, and I think it's time that you moved on, Luna."

An involuntary bark of laughter escaped Luna, as harsh as it was brief. Nightmare Moon and her promise of eternal night had been swept from her mind. For some reason, her attempt to overthrow her sister and doom all of Equestria to eternal night paled in importance to her having lied to a single pony, and how that pony would feel once she learned the truth.

Still peering into the darkness, Luna replied in a defeated, yet somewhat conversational tone, "I wasn't referring to Nightmare Moon actually. But then again maybe I was. Perhaps my past reveals my future. I don't think I'll ever be a good pony." A lump rose in Luna's throat and she found it impossible to go on. Dimly she heard Twilight's hoofsteps coming closer.

The joy in Twilight's voice was gone, replaced by concern as she asked, "What do you mean, Luna? Whatever it is you did can't be all that bad. I know you, and I know that you're not a bad pony. I'm sure that if we talk about it and work together, we can fix whatever it is."

Twilight's simple trust, her faith in Luna, felt like a knife twisting in the alicorn's chest. She brusquely ducked her head further away from Twilight, facing back toward her wing, as she almost savagely cried out, "I lied to you!" Her voice fell into a chocked, sobbing whisper. "I … lied." It was cathartic to finally reveal the truth in its terrible glory, to expose just how ugly she was. The emotions she'd locked away tumbled over one another as they rushed out in a torrent of words.

"I knew the truth, of how Celestia felt about you, of how you hadn't been replaced in her heart by anypony else. Though not when we first met in the library. Then I was as ignorant as you of her true thoughts and feelings. But later, I learned the truth. How she didn't mean to be distant, but was merely overworked. The entire time I've spent in Ponyville I've known the truth. But for my own selfish reasons I hid it from you. I … I'm sorry, Twilight. I know that's not enough, but it's all I can think of saying. I'm sorry, so sorry for not telling you sooner and for causing you to feel so much pain. I hope … I hope that you two will be happy together."

Luna could feel her tears finally break free, and with a silent sob she tucked her face into her wing to hide her sorrow and despair from the world. She expected Twilight to explode on her at anytime, to vent her rage and anger in a justified tirade, Luna waited for it as if she were expecting a physical blow. But aside from Luna's restrained and muffled sobs, the night was silent.

Full of dread, but compelled by curiosity, Luna controlled her emotions and attempted to school her features long enough to fearfully turn her head back in Twilight's direction. The unicorn was obviously shocked and didn't seem to be staring at Luna so much as through her. With a loud thump she sat down heavily and in an emotionless voice she beseeched Luna with a simple, "Why? Why would you …"

Twilight couldn't complete her thought, and now that their gazes were locked, Luna couldn't pull her eyes away as she watched Twilight's fill with questioning betrayal.

"I was selfish, and-and I was afraid. I didn't want to hurt you or Celestia, but for the first time I knew what having a best friend was like, and it was wonderful. I knew that once you and Celestia realized each other's feelings, you'd go back to her and wouldn't want to be with me anymore." Luna sighed deeply, feeling both lighter and heavier somehow as she confessed. "I always was going to tell you the truth, but I wanted to be friends with you just a little longer. If I had known the extent of the misery my silence was causing you, I would have spoken up much sooner." Again a lump rose in Luna's throat and she thickly said, "I'm sorry, Twilight Sparkle, and I hope … I hope that one day you'll be able to forgive me."

Twilight still seemed stunned by Luna's revelation, but she was obviously attempting to gather her thoughts as she disjointedly responded, "But why would … I mean you … friendship doesn't work that way! Did you really think I'd abandon you for your sister, Luna?"

With some surprise that the question needed to be asked, Luna answered, "Yes, it would be the most sensible thing to do after all. You've known Celestia far longer than you've known me, she's wiser, kinder, nicer, and more beautiful than me, and you didn't seek my friendship until after you thought that Celestia had abandoned you. So it would only make sense that when given the choice between us, you would naturally choose my sister over myself. Like everypony else."

Confused, Luna watched as Twilight's expression changed from hurt anger to … pity? Under Twilight's searching gaze, Luna could feel her tears begin to fade.

"Is that what you really think, Luna?"

Another painful lump had formed in Luna's throat and she could only manage a broken nod as she squeezed her lips and eyes tightly shut.

Twilight stood up and stomped her hoof before she began to pace again, this time her attention never wavering from Luna, her voice angry, though Luna wasn't entirely sure that the anger was fully directed at her. "That's terrible. I mean, I know that I'm still learning about friendship, but even I know that isn't really a choice. You don't just brush off a friend when a new one comes along. Not if you were really friends in the first place. I've heard of vain and shallow ponies doing things like that, but do you really think that I only became your friend because Princess Celestia ignored me, and once she paid attention to me again I'd forget you and go back to her?"

When Twilight put it that way, it did cast Luna's fears into an unpleasant light. "No," squeaked out past the lump in her throat. As she cleared her throat and sniffed back her tears, she changed her mind. "Well, yes. But I don't think you're petty or shallow or a bad friend. I simply assumed that when you have the opportunity to give your love to a better pony, it would make sense to give them as much of your love as possible."

Twilight leveled an assessing gaze at Luna, as if to ascertain whether she was being wholly truthful, if she truly believed her own words. Under the intense scrutiny Luna could feel herself begin to perspire.

After several long seconds, Twilight sighed deeply and her anger seemed to evaporate. "Luna, is that how you really see relationships? Like they're some sort of mathematical equation where in order to increase one side you have to decrease the other?"

Luna was quite confused; this line of questioning wasn't at all what she'd expected. "Well, aren't they? After all, when it was just Celestia and I, we loved each other very much. But as we turned our attention to other things, our friendship dwindled as we poured our love into other areas. For me it was the night sky, and for Celestia, it was our subjects." For some reason pity returned to Twilight's countenance, and Luna was quick to add, "Neither of us were truly at fault, we simply grew apart, as you and I will now that you know how much Celestia cares for you again."

Wordlessly Twilight had stopped pacing, and now she quickly closed the distance between them, leaning forward and wrapping her hooves around an astonished Luna, resting her head on the surprised princess' neck. Sadly she murmured, "You've been left alone for far too long, haven't you?"

Luna was stiff with shock at first, but gradually she relaxed into Twilight's warm embrace and went so far as to rest her head atop Twilight's. The hug lasted for quite some time as Luna lost herself in the feeling of Twilight's warmth pressed against her, taking the news of her betrayal much better than she had ever hoped.

Eventually though, Twilight pulled away from the embrace and held Luna at hoof's length. "Alright," she announced with a determined voice. "I'm going to have to show you just what friendship is all about, and how wrong you've been about it. To start off, I forgive you."

"Y-you do?" Luna asked incredulously.

"Yep, because that's what friends do."

"But Celestia-"

Twilight quickly cut off Luna, "Celestia doesn't have anything to do with us, the way I feel about you, or the way you feel about me. A pony's heart isn't a set size with only so much love to go around. Friendship isn't a zero-sum game, Luna. When you make a new friend your heart grows a bit bigger to make room for them, and it can keep getting bigger as you become better friends, or it can become smaller if you move away from each other, but once that part of your heart is there, it won't ever go away. I do have feelings for Princess Celestia, she's been my teacher, my mentor, the one who's always pushed me and driven me to new heights, and was there in case I fell from them. I'd do almost anything to gain her approval, but you're my friend too, Luna. You make me feel … happy, whenever we're together. I love to hear your voice and I love the sound of your laughter. I look forward to seeing you when we're apart, and I hate to see you frown. Just because I have other friends doesn't make us any less friends, and friends forgive each other. Besides, I can forgive you anything. I know you didn't mean to hurt me, and you did tell me eventually. Better late than never, right?"

Luna was astonished. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected that Twilight could forgive her so unconditionally. She searched Twilight's face for any sign, any hint of resentment or duplicity. But all she found was open warmth, a fierce resolve, and a questioning hope.

"I'm sorry I wasn't a good friend to you before, Twilight, but I promise you that I'll be a better one from now on." Luna cried with sincerity as she wrapped her best friend in a tight embrace.

Twilight leaned into the hug and murmured into Luna's ear, "You've been a great friend, Luna. You're just a bit out of practice. Just because you made a mistake doesn't mean I don't want to be your friend anymore. I know everypony makes mistakes, I'm not perfect either. If it hadn't been for my mistake about Princess Celestia, this whole mess wouldn't have happened. So what do you say, friend, let's help one another learn what friendship is all about."

Luna laughed in relief into Twilight's mane, and the lump in her throat dissolved into a hiccup. "If I'm going to help you through your mistakes, and you're going to help me through mine, I don't think we can ever be separated. We both seem to make some rather monumental messes. Though to be honest, I'm glad that you did misunderstand Celestia. If you hadn't, we might not have met the way we did, and I might not have become your friend."

She could feel the heat rolling off Twilight and with her heart aching, but in a good way this time, Luna leaned into Twilight, pouring as much feeling and appreciation into the embrace as she could. Wrapped tightly in Twilight's hooves, their bodies pressed close together, and with her nose buried in the unicorn's mane filling her head with her friend's calming scent, Luna felt her cares simply vanish. The dread and anxiety she had been carrying for so long evaporated in the face of Twilight's unconditional friendship, and in its place a crushing exhaustion settled upon Luna. The many hours of missed sleep made themselves felt now that her mind was no longer trapped in agonizing circles. With a sigh she closed her eyes and leaned even more heavily into Twilight.

"Whoa, Luna, are you okay?"

"Just fine," She softly replied. "Everything's fine so long as you're here with me. But I am quite tired. I was so worried about how you would react to the truth, I haven't been able to sleep for days."

"Then we need to get you to bed," Twilight stated with kind intensity. She twisted around and Luna found herself leaning heavily on the other mare as they slowly made their way off the balcony and back into Twilight's room. Luna barely remembered the journey up the stairs, but she regained her senses for a short while when Twilight pulled back the comforter, and helped Luna climb up onto the now familiar mattress. She tucked the princess in, but instead of following after her to bed, she walked over to her writing desk, dimming the lights in the room as she went, save for a single lamp perched on her desk.

Luna was horrendously tired; her exhaustion had crashed down on her all at once, and seemed to be increasing exponentially somehow. It felt as if she hadn't slept in weeks, and had run all the way from Canterlot to Ponyville besides. But despite her fatigue and the inviting warmth of the bed, she was uncomfortable, and through half-lidded eyes she watched Twilight cross the room. Almost plaintively she mewed out, "Twilight, what are you doing? Please come to bed, I can't sleep without you."

The single dim light and Luna's drooping eyelids made it difficult to properly examine Twilight, but the unicorn's voice had an odd lilt to it as she answered, "I'll be there in a second, Luna. I need to write a quick note to Princess Celestia."

Luna groaned, hopefully quietly enough that Twilight didn't hear her. It had been less than an hour since Twilight's last missive to Celestia. Certainly they had much to catch up on, but couldn't it wait for morning?

Whatever Twilight wrote, it was very short. After only a few minutes of listening to her pen scratches cutting through the room's silence, Luna heard Twilight's hoofsteps approaching the bed again, and she lifted up the leg she'd thrown over her face to watch Twilight's approach. Apologetically Twilight asked, "Spike still isn't back yet, so would you mind sending this for me?"

Twilight had stood by Luna when few other ponies would have; she had forgiven her for her mistakes, and had promised to always be her friend. So even though she could hardly gather the strength to lift her head from the pillow, Luna easily answered, "of course." It was difficult to gather her thoughts, it felt as if her mind were swimming in wooly molasses, but Luna concentrated and was able to gather her magic for just long enough to transform Twilight's scroll into a swiftly moving puff of smoke drifting towards Canterlot.

With a flare of her magic, Twilight turned off the last light, and smiled down at Luna before she climbed into her side of the bed. She squirmed just a little trying to find a comfortable spot, and when she'd settled down, Luna reached out with a hoof and a wing, wrapping them around Twilight. At the touch, Twilight sighed softly and leaned back into Luna's chest. The close physical contact, close enough for Luna to feel Twilight's heart beat, as well as the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest, reassured the princess. Luna buried her face in Twilight's silky mane, breathing in her essence, before she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Amor caecus est<p>

* * *

><p>Celestia hummed unconsciously to herself as she read once more through Twilight's letter. She couldn't have hidden her smile even if she'd wanted to as she lingered over the artfully artless sentences. Twilight certainly had a way with words, somehow going into great detail without falling into the trap of tedium. Through her writing, it was easy for anypony familiar with Twilight to not only glean her thoughts and feelings, but to also clearly hear her speech patterns, the voice of a pony who took herself a bit too seriously at times, yet was still uncertain of herself outside the realm of her magical studies.<p>

The letters and reports Twilight had sent Celestia over the past few weeks had lacked the spirit, the spark of life that she knew her pony had in such abundance. Through the obviously hastily written but still precise and neat words on the page, Celestia felt as if she finally had her Twilight returned to her.

Celestia was a bit surprised by the section of the letter explaining how Twilight had mistakenly believed that Celestia had replaced her. Obviously Celestia needed to do a better job of conveying her feelings to Twilight in the future. Nopony could ever take the little lavender unicorn's place in her heart. The raw emotion betrayed by Twilight's somewhat choppy sentences near the beginning of the letter, where she was describing her last visit to Canterlot had choked Celestia up the first time she'd read through it. But now she could smile fondly at the amount of affection Twilight betrayed by being so brokenhearted over having been ignored. Celestia mentally promised to make up for her negligence to Twilight the next time they were together.

Luna's advice to Twilight when she'd been consoling the distraught pony in the library had been sound, and Celestia could easily see how Luna had drawn such logical conclusions from the facts presented to her. To be honest, Luna's words hadn't been too far from the truth. Celestia had originally sent Twilight to Ponyville in order to awaken the Elements of Harmony, but after seeing just how happy her protégé had become, and just how much she'd blossomed after so short a time, Celestia had decided to give Twilight the freedom to expand her horizons beyond the library walls and experience life for herself.

However, in the months following Twilight's departure, the castle had seemed a bit darker and more echoing. It had felt as if there was a vacuum waiting to be filled by somepony. Of course Luna's return had gladdened Celestia's heart for quite some time, and still did, even though they had begun to see less of each other. But even with the return of her sister, Celestia felt that there was something missing, as if the victory over Nightmare Moon was somehow incomplete.

When the letter had first appeared, Celestia had believed it to be an unexpected but not unwelcome missive from Luna. However, when she'd seen just how thick it had been, as well as Twilight's seal on the outer layer, her heart had quickened with hopeful anticipation. The first time she'd read it, she'd felt saddened, flattered, and warmed in turn by Twilight's words. Now in the midst of the seventh or eighth reading, Celestia found a warm, excited hope filling her, matching the eager and naked hope revealed in the final section of Twilight's letter where she plainly spelled out her feelings and fears. Clearly stating that she hoped her mentor hadn't cast her aside, and was still as full of love and affection as she ever had been. Surely with such a longing sentiment, Twilight wouldn't be content to merely exchange letters. She would want to return to Canterlot, at least for a short time, to discuss with Celestia all she'd learned and seen.

Celestia's reply to Twilight's letter had been written almost as soon as she'd finished the first reading, while her blood and imagination had been fired from the incontrovertible affirmation that Twilight still deeply cared for her, perhaps more than anypony else. Celestia hadn't attempted to reign in her emotions as she wrote and in no uncertain terms she'd explained the truth behind her actions, as well as her true feelings toward her student. Celestia hoped that their letters would mark the start of a new period of friendship between herself and Twilight, an open and honest friendship where they would be able to more freely share their feelings and concerns with one another.

The second letter from Twilight had been as unexpected as it had been brief. It had simply stated that Luna had been under an exhausting emotional strain for the past few days and would be too tired to lower the moon, so Twilight was hoping that Celestia could take over for Luna just this once in order to allow her sister to rest.

Celestia could well imagine the cause of Luna's emotional exhaustion, and though it felt a bit unpleasant to share Twilight's affection with anypony, she couldn't begrudge her sister what comfort she could find after her return from the moon. So, needing to awaken just a few hours earlier to take care of both the moon and the sun, Celestia read through the heartwarming letter only once more before she folded up its reassuring pages and tucked it under her wing to take it back to her bedroom with her. Such a touching and personal document didn't fit in with the rest of the paperwork in her study.

As she began to turn out the lights of her study, a wonderful thought came to Celestia, and she detoured to the study's door. She reached out with her magic and shook one of the near silent summoning bells. By the time she'd opened the door, a servant was already standing there attentively.

"Your Majesty?"

"Please fetch the captain of the guard, I'd like to have a word with him about an upcoming trip," requested Celestia.

"Right away, Princess Celestia." The attendant hurried away, and lacking anything better to do with her time while waiting for Blue Blazer, Celestia perused a few of the more unimportant letters littering her desk. By the time the sound of hoofsteps reached her ears, signaling the captain's arrival, Celestia had actually accomplished more paperwork than she had in nearly the past month.

Her study's door was still open, so as Celestia magically organized her papers for a final time that night, she called out, "Captain Blazer, my sister is scheduled to return from her vacation in two days. I'd like to surprise her by going to Ponyville, along with the Royal Entourage in order to pick her up. I'm quite anxious to see her again and …" Celestia had finished shuffling her papers and finally had turned to face the door where she found a mature and well built unicorn guard paying her professional, rapt attention. "You're not Captain Blue Blazer," Celestia stated questioningly. She quickly racked her brain and was able to dredge up the unicorn's name. "You're Quicksilver, I believe."

The muscular unicorn respectfully bowed and Celestia noticed his ceremonial armor had a newly minted captain's badge soldered onto it. ""Yes, Your Majesty. As the highest-ranking officer in the Royal Guard, I've become the acting captain until you appoint a replacement. Unless, of course, you'd prefer somepony else to be in the position until you make your decision, Your Majesty."

Celestia was rather confused, but hid it behind her public mask. Quicksilver heard only her customarily kind, regal tone as she replied, "You may rise, Quicksilver. I'm sure that you'll perform your duties as acting captain quite well. I don't think that there's any need to replace you until my sister and I've had the time to select the new permanent captain. But tell me, what happened to Blue Blazer? It was my understanding that he was going to remain in his position until a replacement had been found."

Captain Quicksilver stood straight, but shifted his weight from hoof to hoof, perhaps still ill at ease with and perhaps a bit overawed by his new rank and importance in Celestia's presence. Or maybe he just wasn't looking forward to informing Celestia about Blue Blazer's whereabouts. He cleared his throat slightly before replying, "Well, Your Majesty, after your, uh, dismissal of Captain Blazer, he returned to the barracks a bit … upset."

Despite her best efforts, Celestia could feel her mouth fall into a slight frown of worry. "Was he angry with my decision?" Even though she knew her orders had been correct, being right never softened the hurt and guilt of causing somepony pain. She never enjoyed making hard decisions like Captain Blazer's dismissal, and often feared that the reason she had to make such difficult choices that so drastically impacted somepony's life was because she'd failed them in some way. Perhaps if she'd grasped the situation earlier, she could have somehow changed things without causing such binding and life-altering results. Every time she did make such a tough decision, she experienced a pang of guilt. Even now she felt that Luna's banishment was her fault, and now Captain Blazer's forced retirement was also somehow her fault, even though she had acted properly and had made the right choice.

"No, he wasn't mad. At least not at first. When he came in, he looked…" Quicksilver looked away from Celestia, searching for the right words. "… well, he looked like his best friend had just bucked him right in the gut, if you'll pardon the expression, Your Majesty. He just sat down and was real quiet for almost an hour. Me and the other stallions gave him his privacy, and when he stood back up, I guess he'd figured out what he needed to figure out. That was when he seemed a bit angry, though not at you, Your Majesty, and he was pretty determined about something. He told us all that he was retiring, and we tried to cheer him up, but he just kind of brushed us off. He appointed me acting captain, then got his personal belongings from the armory and left."

"I see," Celestia said thoughtfully, mostly to herself. She wasn't sure what to think of Blue Blazer's abrupt departure, something about his actions seemed a bit off to her, but it was understandable for him to act strangely under an emotional strain. Perhaps the old soldier had decided to treat retirement like removing a bandage, best ripped away quickly in order to avoid a lingering pain. But thoughts of Luna and Twilight quickly crowded out the concern she had for Blue Blazer and she hoped that the former captain would have a pleasant and stress-free retirement.

"Thank you, Captain Quicksilver, for being so candid," she said. "I hope that Blue Blazer will find joy and happiness in his new life."

"As do I, Your Majesty."

Celestia's thoughts turned back to Ponyville and she turned the topic of conversation back to Luna's upcoming return. "As I was saying before, Captain, my sister is coming home soon and …"

As Celestia and Captain Quicksilver made their best-laid plans, overhead the stars silently twinkled, and miles away, Luna and Twilight blissfully slept on, dreaming the dreams of the innocent.

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><p>AN

As usual, thanks Pyrite for your perusal.

It's been a long December

Maybe this year will be better than the last


	7. Part 2f subsection 1

I don't own My Little Pony

Ignoring cannon since 2011

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><p>Luna floated in a calm sea of gentle warmth and comfort, completely at peace. She wasn't entirely sure whether she was dreaming or whether she was awake. But one thing she was sure of, wherever it was she drifted, it was infinitely better than her nightmare-plagued sleep or her guilt-haunted consciousness. The only hint that she was seamlessly drifting from slumber to wakefulness was a gradually growing awareness of light surrounding her. Even in the best of her dreams there seldom was very much light.<p>

Following the suffusion of brightness, the next sensation that filled Luna's senses was the fact that she was pressed tightly against the soft body of another pony. Their chests were pressed so close together, that the gentle rise and fall caused by her breathing was synchronized with Luna's own. A hoof shifted its grasp around her croup a little higher, and a drowsy, sleep induced murmur rose from next to her.

The realization that it was Twilight she was being so familiar with washed over Luna like a swelling tide, deceptively gradual and immensely powerful. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Luna's thoughts of Twilight lacked the habitual stab of guilt she'd become used to. Luna had told Twilight the truth, and Twilight didn't hate her for it. Even in her dreams she couldn't have imagined a more wonderful turn of events.

Luna smiled and sighed in contentment as she effortlessly opened her eyes and found herself in what was quickly becoming her favorite place in Equestria; Twilight's bed.

Vibrant beams of light, mellowed by the subdued wooden tones of Twilight's home, poured through the windows and doors, flooding the room with pleasant, almost magically sensual, warmth. Dust motes danced in an unfelt breeze over the bed, creating shimmering sparkles as they reflected the sun's light, adding further to the feeling that the morning was special. Dimly, Luna noticed all this. But her mind felt sluggish, sated on happiness, and what focus she could muster was turned entirely, and quite pleasurably, upon the lavender unicorn in her hooves.

She and Twilight were tangled together; their limbs splayed and mixed in a snarl of hooves and wings. The blanket covering them had slipped down during the night; most of it was bunched up on the floor, while one tenacious edge just barely held on enough to cover their cutie marks. While they'd slept, Luna and Twilight had pulled each other so close that through her heated skin, Luna could feel Twilight's heart beating just slightly out of rhythm with her own pulse.

Twilight Sparkle glowed in the soft sunlight. Her mane was only slightly mussed, and the few strands that twisted away from the others in odd directions only enhanced Twilight's appeal, making her appear innocent and unaffected. Though Luna could still trace the faint tracks Twilight's tears had left in her coat the night before, any other trace of sadness had been wiped away by the soothing refuge of slumber.

Twilight's naturally long eyelashes rested peacefully on her slightly dimpled cheeks. Her mouth was parted slightly in a small and softly enigmatic smile, which revealed the tips of her front teeth, as well as the occasional fleeting glimpse of her tongue as she breathed in and out. In the pervading sunlight, Twilight's horn glowed almost as brightly as it did when she used magic, and Luna noticed that it was rougher than those of many of the other unicorns she'd seen. Likely her bookworm had spent too many hours in study to give a thought to going out and having her horn filed and polished as most other unicorns did. Twilight seemed the sort of pony to not normally have such superficial concerns.

As Luna studied Twilight's face, her features open and unassuming in only the way that sleep could bring about, Luna found her own lips quirking into an unbidden smile as a warm, slow pleasure thrilled through her body. She could watch Twilight's face forever, and never grow tired of tracing with her eyes the line of Twilight's jaw, or the arch of her cheek, or even the slight flare of her nose as she breathed.

Luna laid as still as possible, not wanting to wake her friend, and absently wondered if she'd be willing to come back to Canterlot and sit for a portrait. Although, if necessary, Luna was certain she'd be able to find an artist willing to travel to Ponyville on behalf of the princess of Equestria, if Twilight was loathe to leave her friends for such a simple errand. Of course it would be difficult to find an artist capable of capturing Twilight's essence on canvas. How her eyes sparkled when she was excited, or how she assumed an air of knowledgeable studiousness when explaining something, or the manner in which she pursed her lips slightly in deep thought, causing a tiny and very cute crinkle to emerge over her nose.

With a soft sigh, Luna came to the conclusion that perhaps nopony would be able to truly capture Twilight Sparkle in any media. But even if they were only able to take down her superficial appearance, it would at least be somewhat true to the original, and it would be enough for Luna to fill in the less tangible details with her memories.

Lazing in the comfortable warmth, watching Twilight rest, Luna's thoughts turned inward as she pondered over just how much had changed in so little time. Only yesterday she'd been deathly afraid, certain that Twilight would leave her, and she'd be all alone once again. But then a miracle had happened. Twilight hadn't left her. Instead, the amazing, young mare had welcomed Luna with open hooves and had pledged to always be her friend. For the first time in far too long, all of Luna's fear had disappeared. In a single wonderful moment it had all been stripped away and replaced by Twilight and the unconditional friendship she offered.

Luna didn't think Twilight was aware of just how much she'd affected the princess. But Luna would never forget Twilight's words, or the sentiments behind them. She'd cherish them and keep them locked in her heart forever.

She was contemplating various ways to show Twilight her appreciation when, without preamble, the unicorn in question yawned wide enough to crack her jaw and blearily fluttered her eyes open. It took her a few seconds to bring her eyes under control and to focus on Luna, who was grinning in bemusement.

"Good morning," Twilight sighed. Judging by her tone, her mind hadn't yet completely thrown off the last vestiges of sleep.

"Good morning, Twilight," Luna whispered back. She wasn't sure why it felt important that they kept their voices low, but it was as if that moment was a fragile, delicate thing, and even the minutest of noises could shatter it.

Twilight's half-lidded eyes examined Luna's face for a moment before she observed, "Your mane's all messy."

Luna's stifled laughter shook both ponies as she replied, "So's yours."

Neither pony made any move to pull away from the other.

Twilight shifted around a little, finding a slightly more comfortable indention in her pillow. "Did you sleep well?" she asked after settling down.

Luna laughed again, this time letting it out in a silvery happy chime, like tiny bells ringing in the morning air. "I slept better than I have in years."

Twilight's smile grew, and her ears perked up at the sound of Luna's short laugh. "I'm glad." Twilight's tone was a bit firmer and less ethereal than it had been before. "You deserve a full night's, er, day's, rest. And I'm glad Princess Celestia was able to lower the moon and bring up the sun without having to disturb you."

Truthfully, Luna had forgotten all about her duties towards the moon and the night. When she was around Twilight, everything else just seemed a bit less important.

Twilight's eyes drifted past Luna's face and toward the window. "It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day," she observed.

"It does." Luna hadn't needed to look out the window to come to that conclusion.

Twilight groaned lightly and lifted her head as she commented, "We should probably get out of bed."

Lacking any sincerity, Luna replied, "You're right. We need to start the day."

Agreeing with Luna's feelings rather than her words, Twilight settled her head back down on the pillow and began to gaze contently at Luna once more. Neither pony moved a muscle to untangle herself from the other, much less to leave the invitingly warm and insidiously comfortable bed. Luna smiled impishly at Twilight, who smiled warmly back. Both of them seemingly perfectly willing to let the day pass them by rather than interrupt their moment of tranquil peace.

However, their bodies weren't quite as content apparently. A loud gurgling rumble broke the stillness of the morning. They were pressed so closely together that Luna couldn't tell whether the vibrations she felt came from her stomach or Twilight's. She shot a surprised glance downward, and when she looked up again, the blush on Twilight's cheeks were more than a match for her own.

Twilight laughed nervously. "I guess we _should_ get up … to have breakfast, heh."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Luna heartily agreed, and the mood thoroughly shattered. While only moments before, Luna had wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the morning lost in Twilight's eyes, the idea suddenly seemed rather embarrassing. In fact, as she reflected on them, the thoughts she'd been having seemed a bit strange. Friends didn't normally lie in bed admiring each other's innate beauty, did they?

Quickly, Luna began to separate herself from her friend, and just as quickly, Twilight kicked free from what few covers they'd had and rolled off the bed. Luna somewhat gracefully fell off the other side and found that her muscles were quite stiff from the unusual position she'd slept in. Without thinking, she began to stretch all her limbs, and her outspread wings blocked out almost all the light streaming in from the window. She closed her eyes as she cracked a small, unknowingly cute, yawn.

When she opened them, she found Twilight frozen on the other side of the bed, regarding her with surprisingly rapt attention.

With a bit of confusion, Luna turned her head to try and see what it was behind her that was distracting Twilight. However, from her vantage point, it was impossible to see just how well the light falling through the window passed through her feathers, highlighting her delicately soft down before bouncing off her beautiful coat, causing her to glow with an astonishing radiance.

Luna turned back to Twilight with a small, concerned frown. Seeming to refocus on Luna's face, Twilight shook her head briskly and shot Luna an embarrassed and awkward smile. "So … um …" Her eyes darted around the room before coming to rest on Spike's empty basket. "Didn't Spike come home last night?" A note of worry crept into her voice as she said, "I hope nothing happened to him. Maybe he's downstairs and I just didn't hear him get up this morning."

"It's alright, Twilight. Spike spent the night with Fluttershy. I was with her last evening when he appeared at her house. He thought it was important to give you the space you needed," Luna explained as she gave her wings a last tiny bounce to stretch them out a little more, before folding them back to her sides.

"Oh. I see," Twilight replied, calming down. "Well, I guess if he's at Fluttershy's, he's okay. She'd never let anything bad happen to him. Although I don't think a baby dragon should stay out so late." The distinctive sound of a pony's stomach rumbling in protest rang out again, this time it was apparent that it came from Luna. With a smile, Twilight commented, "I guess we should hurry up and have breakfast."

Mortified by her body's betrayal, Luna could only shamefacedly nod.

With a small, private smile, Twilight turned and opened her bedroom door. Neither of them bothered to even brush their manes before they headed down to the kitchen. The library proper was brightly lit by the mid-morning sunlight cascading from the many windows. In the gentle light Luna descended the well-worn wooden steps, following Twilight's hypnotically swishing tail as she entered the kitchen.

Twilight ducked her head into the pantry door as Luna sat down patiently next to the kitchen table. From Twilight's direction arose the sound of items being shifted around and of cans and canisters being dragged from one side of a shelf to the other. In a few moments she emerged from the pantry with a look of dismay on her face and her ears flat against her head.

"Um, Luna … I'm sorry. Yesterday was so … hectic, that I forgot to go to the store. We're completely out of food! Oh, I hope you don't mind going out for breakfast again," Twilight despaired.

While Luna thought that Twilight's reaction was disproportionate to the situation, her mood did sour. For some reason she was loathe to leave the library, to cut short her private morning with Twilight. On the other hoof, her stomach was painfully empty.

"Isn't there something left at least? Perhaps we could make some simple fare from what we have on hoof," she proposed hopefully. Twilight leveled a flat stare in her direction and Luna quickly amended, "Nothing that would require baking of course, just something easy and non-combustible."

Twilight still looked doubtful as she turned back to the pantry. "I don't know …" She levitated out the few ingredients they had in order to show them to Luna. "It looks like all we have is a bottle of syrup, a jar of mustard, a basket of apples that I bought a week ago, a jar of honey, and a bottle of cumin. I don't even know what cumin's used for, why do I have that?"

"That's everything?" Luna asked, her hopes sinking.

Twilight poked her head back into the pantry for a moment before replying, "Well, there's a few diamonds and an emerald or two, but I wouldn't want to eat all of Spike's snacks."

Luna smiled faintly at the joke. "Of course not. Though to be honest, I never really developed a taste for gems. Whenever Celestia and I visited the dragons, we always made sure to pack our own lunch."

Twilight chuckled as she turned to set down the mismatched ingredients on the table, and with a start, Luna realized that she hadn't felt the slightest tinge of pain when she mentioned her sister. For the past week, nearly every time she'd heard Celestia's name, a cold dagger of guilt at her betrayal had pierced her heart. And even before that, there had more often than not been a brief surge of mixed emotions that had risen in her throat at the mention of her sister's name, a bilesome collection of anxiety, jealousy, and guilt, which would fade as quickly as it came.

But now, after Twilight's unquestioning acceptance of her the night before, Luna was shocked to find that she no longer felt any resentment toward her sister. Nor any of the guilt that came from being such a poor sister and harboring such unkind feelings toward Celestia. Somehow it seemed as if nothing, not even her own past negative emotions, could interrupt her newfound happiness with Twilight. Still, it would likely take some time for her to stop emotionally flinching from the expectation of pain whenever her sister came up in conversation.

Smiling softly, and somewhat bemused at the difference a single night, a single pony could have on her life; Luna shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned her attention to the possibilities for breakfast. She studied them intently, her small smile turning into a frown of concentration. Eventually she admitted, "Well, I'm afraid that I'm just as ignorant as you are about cumin, so I think we can safely rule that out of the list of ingredients."

"Yeah, I don't think that mustard is much of a breakfast food either," Twilight said as she contemplated the meager offerings with a disappointed frown. "And the apples look kind of wrinkly; I'm not sure how good they'll taste now."

Luna considered the somewhat aged fruit for a moment before she hazarded, "Perhaps we could bake them? As I recall we had a baked apple dish at the palace not too long ago that was mostly made of sugar, water, and apples. Between the honey and the syrup, I'd think that there'd be enough sugar here for it."

Twilight shot an arch look in Luna's direction. "I thought you said that we shouldn't bake."

"We wouldn't really be baking them, just adding extra ingredients and heating them," Luna hastily explained.

Twilight eyed the apples dubiously. "I don't know …" she flicked her eyes back toward Luna and smiled a bit hesitantly. "But I guess trying it out won't hurt." She picked up the mustard and cumin, putting them away before returning with a large glass dish she retrieved from a shelf higher up in the pantry.

Luna meanwhile took the initiative to create several sharp blades of magic and cleanly quartered the pile of apples, discarding the few pieces that were far too bruised to be appetizing. Twilight set the dish down on the table and Luna artfully arranged the apple slices into it. Twilight then picked up the syrup and honey and began to pour their viscous contents over the slices.

With both of them filling the kitchen with their magic, they quickly finished putting the ingredients together, and were left staring down at their sticky concoction. Twilight's disappointed frown and drooped ears, along with the askance way she was looking at the apples, revealed that she still had her doubts about their culinary ability. "I think that the syrup and honey are too thick. Maybe we should add some water to thin it out."

Luna pursed her lips as she contemplated the admittedly dense mixture. "That's a good idea; we wouldn't want them to burn."

Twilight turned her attention to the sink where she began to fill a pitcher. Luna meanwhile approached the oven, and after opening its door, lit the burner inside. Unsure of what temperature would be best to use, she set the flames very low. They hadn't had much success the last time they'd worked in the kitchen and that had been without actually making it to the cooking part of the process. Who knew what would happen this time? It would probably be wise to mitigate the damage as much as possible.

"Okay, I think we're ready," Twilight announced as she drenched the apples with water and floated the now sloshing dish over to the oven. She set it down on the oven's wire rack and closed the door. They nearly bumped their heads as she and Luna crouched down to nervously watch the results through the tiny window revealing the oven's interior. Aside from the soft sound of the flames in the oven, a tense silence filled the kitchen as both ponies paid close attention to the inert apples.

As nothing continued to happen, Twilight looked over at Luna and commented, "Well, they do say that a watched pot never boils."

Luna raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Does the same saying hold true for apples?"

The bridge of Twilight's nose wrinkled in thought. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "But maybe, just in case, we should do something else for a little while to take our minds off of it."

Luna quickly turned her eyes away from the oven and retreated to the kitchen table, studiously ignoring the baking apples. Twilight followed after her and they took the seat next to her. They were positioned so that while their backs were to the oven, they could still steal surreptitious glances every so often. As they waited for the culinary magic to happen, both Luna and Twilight retreated into their own thoughts, allowing a companionable silence to take hold of the warm kitchen.

Luna found her thoughts returning to earlier in the morning, to just after she'd just woken up. At the time she'd been lost in the feelings of relief, gratitude, and just plain simple happiness at waking up to a new day in such a wonderful world. She'd simply coasted on those feelings as she'd lain in bed, content for the first time in years. But looking back, perhaps she'd accidentally crossed an invisible boundary. Perhaps she'd been propelled by the overwhelming gratitude and release she'd felt at not being denounced by Twilight, past the point of simple friendship. Reflecting on her thoughts and feelings from earlier in the day, Luna felt a bit as if she'd betrayed Twilight's simple trust of her as a friend, and that perhaps she'd overstepped her bounds.

But still, Luna did feel grateful to her friend, and so long as she kept her minor trespass to herself, nopony would know. So she made a new promise to herself, that from that point on she'd take Twilight's friendship only as it was offered, and push no further. However, Luna still didn't feel as if she'd adequately told Twilight just how much her friendship meant to her.

Shyly, Luna looked over at Twilight, who was looking back over her shoulder at the oven. Quietly, hesitantly, Luna broke the morning's stillness. "Twilight, I … I wanted to say thank you."

Twilight quickly looked away from the oven, pretending as if she hadn't been staring intently at the small window, and she sat up at straight, even her ears were perked up and at attention as if she'd been called on in a class she'd been napping in. After a moment, her posture relaxed and she asked, "What for?"

Luna chuckled a bit nervously and broke eye contact with Twilight. She placed her hooves on the table and tapped them a bit absentmindedly. "Well, I just ... I mean thank you for last night, for being my friend. I thought that after everything" Luna sighed deeply, not sure of just how to say what it was she felt she needed to say. " … well, just, thank you, Twilight." Luna sighed again, and slumped a bit in her seat. She desperately wanted to let Twilight know just how grateful she was, and how much Twilight's actions had meant to her, but the words simply wouldn't come to her.

Twilight smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof as she replied, "Don't mention it, Luna. There's nothing you really need to thank me for. I only did what any good friend would do. I'm sure that as more ponies get to know just how wonderful you are, you'll make many more friends. I know it was a bit difficult for me to make friends at first too, but eventually you'll realize that almost everypony is a friend you just haven't met yet."

"But you'll always be my first," Luna said with a soft sigh and half-lidded eyes complimenting the small, strange smile she shot Twilight.

Twilight laughed a bit too loudly, as she replied, "You don't mean that, Luna. I'm sure that Princess Celestia was your first friend."

Luna looked away, and a muscle under her eye tensed, before relaxing just as quickly. "Yes she was. But the feelings of friendship I have with her are different than the ones that I feel for you. Celestia and I are friends, but we're also sisters, so the bond between us is inherently different than the one between you and I. With you, you're not only my friend, you're my -" Luna cut herself off, not sure just what she intended to say. It was true that she and Twilight were friends, but they were more than that as well. After all, she was also friends with Applejack and the rest of the Apple family, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, RD, and Fluttershy. But she didn't get the same sort of warm, bubbly, happy feeling with them that she felt around Twilight.

Unsure of how to put her thoughts and feelings into words, and realizing that she'd paused too long to make a smooth recovery, Luna skipped the rest of what she was going to say. "Anyway, I'm afraid that Celestia and I can't be as close as we once were."

Twilight leaned forward and placed a gentle hoof on top of Luna's. "But why?" She softly but desperately asked. "With Nightmare Moon gone and ponies enjoying the night sky, why can't you two be friends again?"

Luna looked down at the purple hoof covering hers, and followed the leg up, meeting Twilight's eyes with a sad smile. "Even before Nightmare Moon, we were drifting apart. She rules the day and I rule the night. We simply can't be as close as we once were since all we share is the twilight between."

"But can't you at least try? I mean you are sisters after all, and you're both," Twilight paused and looked away, searching for the right words, before she looked back with a strange intensity in her eyes. "You're both very special someponies to me, and I'd hate it if you weren't friends."

Luna could feel her own eyes becoming misty as she stared into Twilights sparkling gaze. For the briefest of moments, Luna thought that she saw a hint of something … something more than friendship in Twilight's eyes. But she quickly dismissed the thought as merely another idle remnant of her own feelings clouding her perception.

Not wanting to pursue the conversation any further, Luna pulled away from Twilight. Her gaze fell on the oven, and with false enthusiasm she observed, "Oh look, the apples are bubbling."

With a false intensity, Luna left the table and rushed over to the oven, turning all her attention to its dimly lit interior. She watched as the syrupy liquid surrounding the apples frothed and boiled, growing thicker and darker.

"That's … great, Luna," Twilight replied, her tone betraying her uncertainty at Luna changing topics so quickly. But she mercifully let the subject drop. Her hoofs softly clopped against the floor as she also left the table. "I hope that they'll be edible."

"They certainly smell like they will be," replied Luna. She breathed in the steam escaping from around the oven door and could only detect the smell of sugary sweetness mixed with the earthy scent of apples, nothing unpleasant.

Twilight put her head next to Luna's and peered into the oven. "How will we know when they're done?"

"I'm not sure," Luna admitted.

"Well, it is boiling, so it must be very hot already. And while I'm not all that great a cook, I do know that if you leave things in for too long, they dry out, and then burn. So I think that it's probably safe for us to take it out and let it cool."

Luna moved out of the way as Twilight opened the oven's door and levitated the piping hot glass dish out, while extinguishing the oven's flames at the same time. She closed the oven with a bump from her hip, while she set down the bubbling apple mixture on a strategically placed cooling rack. No longer confined by the oven, a pleasantly sweet aroma filled the kitchen as Twilight retrieved a couple of plates and placed them where she and Luna had been sitting before. While the apples were still steaming, she carefully separated them into two precisely equal portions, which she levitated over to the plates. Then both she and Luna sat down and contemplated the fruits of their labor.

The apples didn't look all that unappetizing, but still, despite her hunger, Luna had a few reservations about being the first to try them. She looked up from her plate over at Twilight, who was staring down at her own breakfast with a sort of resigned skepticism. Like she knew she probably wasn't going to enjoy doing something, but she was going to have to do it regardless. She caught the motion of Luna looking up out of the corner of her eye, and she looked over at Luna and hazarded a crooked smile.

"Well, they can't be as bad as the cookies we made," Twilight said hopefully. She looked back down at the apples and sighed before leaning down, and with only the tips of her teeth, took a minute bite out of the topmost apple. Luna watched with eager interest, glad she wasn't the first to taste their cooking.

Twilight chewed for a few seconds, before her eyebrows rose in surprise and she delivered the verdict, "These aren't all that bad. In fact, they're pretty good."

As she bent down for another, larger bite, Luna looked back down at her own plate, still with a bit of skepticism, and lifted up one of the apple slices smeared with viscous liquid with her magic. Quickly she popped the slice in her mouth and swallowed it, almost without chewing, just in case Twilight was playing a joke on her and they tasted quite foul.

After a moment's consideration, allowing time for her palate to adequately analyze the taste, Luna agreed with a hint of surprise in her voice, "You're right. They're quite delectable actually." She floated another slice up to her lips. Perhaps it was some remnants of the enchantment holding sway over her from earlier in the morning, or maybe it was due simply to the wonderful company she was with, but nothing had ever tasted quite so sweet to Luna. Logically she knew that what they'd made couldn't taste as good as she thought it did. After all, it was impossible for two mares such as herself and Twilight, armed with only the barest of ingredients, to make a dish as wonderful as any of the apple products they'd tried at Sweet Apple Acres.

Yet, on that warm summer morning, bathed in soothing sunlight and in the company of her best friend, the baked apples they'd made together far surpassed even any of the expertly produced spun sugar confections that had been painstakingly made by the finest chefs in Equestria for her enjoyment in Canterlot. Luna smiled and laughed quietly to herself at the strange realization as she continued to enjoy the best breakfast she'd ever had.

Seeing her friend's body shake slightly in stifled mirth, and wanting to join in on the joke, Twilight asked, with a slight chuckle in her voice, "What's so funny, Luna?"

"Oh, nothing really. I was just thinking how strange life can be, and how drastically our perceptions can change when we're with other ponies."

"I know what you mean." Twilight fell silent and her eyes became unfocused as she lost herself in thought. A lone piece of apple held by her magic was frozen in mid-air, its thick glaze dripping back onto the plate in long, oozing strands.

Luna felt as if she could watch Twilight's adorably absentminded expression forever, but after a few moments, she realized how dangerously close to forbidden territory her thoughts had become, and turned her attention to a nearby window. The sun had changed positions and its light was no longer pouring in, but was slanting through the panes. She turned back to examine Twilight in the changing light, when she came to the sudden realization that her stay in Ponyville was nearly over. She'd spent so much time in needless agony that now, when it felt as if her vacation had finally begun; it was coming to a close.

A part of the brief flash of desperation she felt must have made itself known on her face because Twilight inexplicably snapped out of her trance and refocused her eyes on Luna, asking, "Is everything okay?"

Luna smiled a bit sadly. "Yes, it's just that I remembered how little time we have left before I have to return to my duties in Canterlot, that's all."

Twilight's eyes and ears shot up in alarm. "Oh no! I forgot that you had to go back so soon! For some reason it feels like we still have weeks left together."

Luna felt dismay at the realization of how little time she had left before having to return to Canterlot and the large, empty castle that was her home. But she didn't want to burden Twilight with her feelings, so she forced a smile and tried her best to be nonchalant. "Well, since I must leave tomorrow, we'll just have to have as much fun today as possible." Twilight's face was still twisted in a disappointed frown, and Luna found herself in the uncomfortable position of having to comfort another pony. "And even when I do return to Canterlot, that doesn't mean that we won't see each other anymore. You can come and visit the castle anytime, and I'll certainly come and visit Ponyville as often as I can." Luna even made a half-hearted attempt at a laugh as she said, "Although I'm afraid that when I resume my nightly duties, my visits may come at somewhat odd hours."

Twilight cracked a wan smile as she replied, "Don't worry, I keep some odd hours myself. And I'll make sure and write you every day, Luna. I made a promise, and I won't leave you alone ever again, even when I can't be there with you."

Luna felt a swelling warmth fill her chest, and she wistfully replied, "Thank you, Twilight, that really means a lot to me."

Twilight looked away from Luna's earnest face and cleared her throat before abruptly changing the topic. "Anyway, there's still somepony left I'd like you to meet. Although if you'd rather stay in today or do something else, we can do that too, since today is your last day in Ponyville and all."

To be honest, Luna did relish the thought of simply whiling her last day in Ponyville away, locked in the library with Twilight keeping her company. It didn't even matter what they did really, whether it was playing games, having another mareathon study session, or even just tiding up and shelving books. No matter what they did, so long as it was with Twilight, Luna knew it would be wonderful.

But she could tell that Twilight loved and was proud of her friends, and she seemed anxious to introduce Luna to all of them. If there was one thing that Luna never wanted to do again, it was to disappoint Twilight. So she put aside her own selfish feelings and smiled good-naturedly. "Well, what is this friend of yours like?"

Twilight's face lit up at the question and her ears perked up in excitement as she eagerly replied, "Oh, she's really smart and very fascinating to talk to. She's a zebra who lives alone in the Everfree Forest and gathers herbs and other natural ingredients to make potions and holistic remedies."

Luna's curiosity was piqued by Twilight's enthusiastic portrayal of her friend. "She certainly does sound interesting, but does she really live in the Everfree Forest? Isn't that a bit unusual?"

"She doesn't live too far into it, but she's a very independent zebra."

"She does sound interesting; I'd love to meet her, Twilight."

Twilight clapped her hooves together happily. "Great! We can go see her and then stop by Fluttershy's on the way back to pickup Spike."

"That sounds like a wonderful plan," Luna said. She looked down to find only a single slice of apple left, and she hurriedly popped it into her mouth. As she licked the last of the gooey, sugary residue from her lips, she commented, "We should probably get going though if we want to take advantage of this beautiful weather."

Twilight turned her head to look out the window and agreed, "You're right, we should get going. I'll take care of the dishes and you can go ahead and get cleaned up." She looked back at Luna and quickly ran her eyes over her hair, before looking away quickly and blushing slightly. "Your mane looks cute mussed, but I don't think you'd want to go out in public with it like that."

Luna involuntarily raised a hoof and ran it down her mane, shocked that she'd gone the entire morning without brushing it, and hoping that it hadn't made her appear too ridiculous. But she quickly put her vain concerns aside as she replied, "Nonsense. I can brush my mane after I help you clean the dishes. After all we both helped to make the mess; we should both help to clean it up."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Luna. It's only a few dishes; it won't take me any time at all to clean up." Twilight waved her hoof dismissively before she stood up and began to pick up the dishes with her magic.

"And it will take even less time if we clean them together," Luna replied as she also stood. Her magic wrestled with Twilights for a shiveringly pleasant moment before she wrested control of the dishes away from her hostess.

Twilight screwed up her face as if she was about to argue, but Luna gave her a flat, stern look, and the unicorn seemed to deflate a little before replying, "Well, okay."

They carried the dishes over to the sink, where Luna put to her newfound dishwashing skills, gained from Pinkie Pie's, to use. Soon the only remnants of their breakfast were drying on the rack next to the sink.

"You can take the bathroom first, Luna. I need to go make a quick list of the things we need to take for our trip to Zecora's," Twilight suggested as they left the kitchen.

Luna looked askance at Twilight as she replied, "A list? I thought we were simply visiting your friend. I didn't realize that it was necessary to take supplies with us."

Twilight let out an uneasy chuckle. "It's not really. I just want to make sure that we don't forget anything in case we do need to take something." She rushed on, eager and energetic to explain herself, "I mean, what if something happens and we didn't have a list for it beforehoof, so we're not prepared for it? Like the Filly Scouts say, 'always be prepared.'"

Twilight seemed to be looking forward to making her list, so with a chuckle and a slight shake of the head at her friend's quirks, Luna took Twilight up on her offer and headed off to the bathroom. As she left her, Luna could hear Twilight quietly murmuring to herself, "Now where did I put my list of things I need to make lists?"

The tiles of the bathroom were pleasantly warm on Luna's hoofs as she walked in. With a bit of trepidation she quickly strode over to the mirror to assess just how badly she appeared, running a critical eye over not only her mane, but her coat and her tail as well. Luna let out a small, relieved sigh when she found that they weren't as mussed as she'd feared they were. Picking up a few combs and a brush, Luna ran them through her hair, smoothing the tufts and unsnarling the snags. There was something soothing in the gentle pull of the combs and the relaxing massage of the slightly stiff-bristled brush, but Luna didn't want to keep Twilight waiting, so she hurriedly finished up her grooming. In a matter of minutes she had her hair combed into an acceptable amount of neatness. As she set down the combs and brush, Luna gave herself one last cursory examination, turning her body slightly so she could see first one side and then the other, and decided that she was presentable enough to face the world.

With light steps, Luna left the bathroom and returned to the main library, where she found Twilight happily putting the last flourish to her list.

"And a copy of the Filly Scout's complete guide for camping," Twilight said to herself as she pressed her quill against the floating roll of paper hard enough to indent the other side. "That should do it." She blew on the scroll to help dry the ink, while cleaning the nib of her quill with a scrap piece of cloth. As she rolled up the scroll, she noticed Luna's entrance and smiled at her friend. "That was quick, Luna." She ran an appraising eye down the length of Luna's body, and under her smoldering gaze, Luna could feel herself growing embarrassed, and she shifted her weight nervously from hoof to hoof. "You look great," Twilight decided. "I guess it's my turn to tame the dreaded bed head then."

Twilight stood up and brushed past Luna on the way to the bathroom. Luna watched her go, and then turned her attention to the pair of saddlebags Twilight had left lying on a nearby table. They were practically bulging at the seams. Luna hoped that Twilight was just being over-prepared and they wouldn't really need everything that she seemed to want to take. She turned her attention to the rest of the library, and whiled away the time waiting for Twilight by browsing the various books lining the library's shelves, finding several familiar titles in the collection.

Eventually Twilight returned, groomed and much sleeker. "Ready to go?" she asked Luna as she lifted up her saddlebags.

Luna floated down from the shelf near the ceiling that she'd been perusing, and eyed the bags as Twilight fastened them around her middle. "I thought that you said this Zecora lives just inside the Everfree Forest. Do you really need to pack so much?"

Twilight gave one last magical tug on the bags' straps before she turned her head toward Luna and breezily replied, "Oh, it's not all that much, just a few bottles of water in case we get thirsty, a book on the flora of the Everfree Forest, a book on the fauna of the Everfee Forest, a book that I thought Zecora might be interested in, a book on camping and surviving in the wilderness , just in case, and Beach Sunday's compendium of Eudoxan spheres." Twilight noticed Luna's inquiringly raised eyebrow and hastily explained, "I'm in the middle of reading it, and you never know when you'll have some free time for a bit of light reading when you're out visiting."

Luna good-naturedly rolled her eyes and nodded non-judgmentally. "I see. Well, in any case, yes, I'm ready to go."

"Great! Trust me, you'll love Zecora, she's a great friend." Twilight walked over and opened the library's door, waiting for Luna to go through first.

Luna accepted her invitation and found that the day outside was every bit as wonderful as she'd hoped it would be. Twilight closed the library door behind them, and with an exchange of excited smiles, the two ponies set off down the road that would lead them out of Ponyville.

As they passed through the town, they found a few other ponies who were enjoying the warm morning as well. Behind them, closer to the center of Ponyville where the main market was, the street was much more crowded. But as Luna and Twilight neared the edge of Ponyville, there were fewer and fewer ponies to pleasantly nod hello to.

Judging by the position of the sun, it wasn't quite yet noon as they left Ponyville behind, Twilight leading Luna down a wide but overgrown lane which seemed to run in an uninterrupted line straight into the heart of the Everfree Forest.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it, Luna?" Twilight asked as they strolled through the middle of a meadow of wild grass. The tall, feral stalks rose to wither-height on either side of the road. Luna looked over to find Twilight's head swiveling back and forth as the examined the azure sky overhead with appreciative eyes.

"Yes, yes it is," replied Luna. She spared only a casual glance upward; finding it much more interesting to watch her friend's excited face. "Exceptionally beautiful."

"Celestia and the weather ponies must have worked extra hard this morning to get everything so perfect."

"Most likely they did," Luna agreed. "Though perhaps we're a bit prejudiced. I've always found that the world, and the weather, seem brighter and better when you're happy." Luna hesitated for a moment before she quietly admitted, "And I think I'm the happiest I've been in a long, long time."

Twilight stopped scanning the sky and turned to look in Luna's direction with a small concerned frown.

Luna ducked her head slightly and searched for the words she wanted to say, but all that came out in a tone full of raw gratitude was, "It's just … thank you, Twilight. Thank you for staying with me."

Twilight blushed and looked away in embarrassment as she observed, "You've already thanked me for being your friend, Luna. You don't have to keep saying it."

A loose stone loomed up ahead in the path, and Luna side stepped it, using the movement as an excuse to move closer to Twilight, close enough to occasionally bump up against her saddlebags. In a heartfelt voice, barely more than a whisper, Luna said, "But I want to keep saying it. I can't tell you what it feels like to be accepted by a pony like you. Thank you, Twilight."

Twilight blushed even more deeply and continued to closely examine the wild field they were passing through in lieu of looking at Luna as she replied, "Well then, you're welcome."

An awkward but pleasant silence settled over the two ponies as they continued toward the forest looming ahead of them. The grass grew shorter and shorter and the road was less carefully maintained as they neared the forest. In fact the road transformed from a worn dirt covered path into a patchwork of dusty stretches of packed earth separated by scraggly growths of grass. By the time they reached the edge of the forest, the road had virtually disappeared altogether.

Without hesitation Twilight led them off the beaten path and into the dark depths of the Everfree Forest. Of course Luna wasn't scared. Not for herself at least. It was entirely for Twilight's benefit that she scanned the thick undergrowth they passed through, especially the dank, dark spots in which one would expect a scaly reptile to be lurking.

As Luna ducked a low hanging branch, closing one of her eyes to keep the scratchy foliage out, she asked, "So, Twilight, how far into the forest did you say that Zecora lived?"

Twilight blithely replied, "Not very far. In fact, we're almost there."

Thanks to the thick foliage overhead, the daylight quickly dimmed into a somewhat murky dusk as they traveled deeper into the tangled woods. Despite how wildly the plants grew the trail they followed never entirely disappeared, though it did become much more twisted as it meandered around trees and through brambles. After several twists and turns, they arrived at a large, primitive-looking hut, which seemed to grow from the forest's floor.

Luna followed Twilight as she circled the building. The exterior was decorated with strange masks and other exotic objects that Luna didn't expect to normally find in Equestria. Eventually they reached a large, rough hewn door, and Twilight loudly rapped on it, calling out, "Zecora, it's Twilight, are you home?"

There was silence for several moments, and far in the distance a bird trilled. Soon however there came the sound of hooves walking on a hardwood floor, and the door opened from the inside, revealing the somewhat familiar face of a zebra mare with a closely cropped mane. The only other Zebra she'd met recently had a much longer mane. Zecora beamed in Twilight's direction and said, "Ah, Twilight Sparkle, I did not expect to see you today. Tell me, what has brought you my way?"

"Good morning, Zecora," Twilight greeted Zecora. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath before continuing. "My friend Luna is visiting Ponyville, and I'm introducing her to all my other friends, and I thought it would be nice for her to meet you."

"If you are a friend of Twilight, to meet you would be my delight," The vaguely familiar zebra said as she turned toward Luna expectantly.

Luna smiled and stepped forward, lifting her hoof in the now familiar modern gesture of greeting, while Twilight stepped to the side and raised her own hoof to first indicate one pony and then the other.

"Princess Luna, this is Zecora, one of the most knowledgeable ponies I know. Especially when it comes to the plants and animals of the forest. Zecora, this is Princess Luna, the princess of the night and of the moon."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Zecora."

Zecora raised her own hoof and firmly shook Luna's as she smiled widely and happily said, "Ah, Princess Luna, it is a pleasure! My honor at meeting you is beyond measure." She released Luna's hoof and stepped to the side of the doorway, inviting them, "Princess Luna, Twilight Sparkle, I was about to sit down to tea. Please, won't you two come in and perhaps join me?"

"That sounds wonderful, Zecora," Twilight replied. She bowed her head slightly in gratitude as she stepped over the threshold and into the house.

Luna quickly followed her, also nodding in appreciation to Zecora as she passed her. "Thank you for having us."

Zecora bowed slightly and replied, "Your thanks are welcome but unwarranted, visits from my friends are always appreciated."

As Zecora closed the door behind them, Luna took the opportunity to take in the interior of the small hut. The first thing that struck her was that it seemed much larger on the inside than the exterior had suggested. It was a large, brightly lit, single room. It vaguely reminded her of Twilight's library due to the many shelves and tables lining the walls, covered with several jars, bowls, and pestles. The center of the room was dominated by a cauldron full of a dark green liquid that was giving off a pleasant smell, reminiscent of lavender. There was a small fire below the cauldron, but it didn't emit any smoke, nor could Luna feel any heat coming from it. From the ceiling hung several large gourds, and on the walls were various strange masks, their exaggerated expressions were more interesting than frightening.

Twilight seemed right at home as she strolled across the room. She unstrapped her saddlebags and set them down on a well-worn table that had been made from a cross section of a tree. Luna followed her lead and took a seat on one of the large, soft cushions spread around the low table.

Zecora walked to the cauldron and sprinkled in some dried and crushed leaves from a small canister she picked up from a small table next to the cauldron. She watched the flakes dissolve, and then walked over to a workbench near the table where Twilight and Luna were sitting. Over her shoulder she called out, "The tea will take a few minutes to brew; I hope that the wait will not bore you."

"Oh, that's alright, Zecora," Twilight hastily replied, eagerly placing her hooves on the table. "We can talk while we wait." She turned her attention to the saddle bags propped up next to her, and opened one of their flaps. She levitated out a small but thick book. "I wasn't sure if you'd read this one or not, but I thought you might be interested in it," Twilight explained as she floated the book over the table in Zecora's direction.

Zecora turned her attention from the tea she was preparing and regarded the slightly worn book curiously.

Twilight continued to explain, "It's a book about the holistic remedies that pegasi use. I've read through it, and while I'm not sure how you'll get a hold of some of the ingredients, I thought that the recipes might still be interesting to you."

Zecora reached up and gently lowered the book to the table. She looked up and warmly smiled at Twilight as she replied, "Thank you for your thoughtfulness, I know little about healing a pegasus. I am certain that in these pages I will see a great deal to interest me."

Twilight had been leaning forward intently, with a stiff and somewhat anxious posture. But as Zecora opened the book and began to make a cursory examination of the pages, she leaned back and her shoulders relaxed. Luna smiled a bit at just how transparent and honest Twilight was, as well as how anxious she was to impress the ponies she cared for.

Not wanting to seem distant, Luna searched for a way to start a conversation with Zecora. Her eyes traced the many bunches of drying herbs scattered around the room as she remarked, "You seem to be quite knowledgeable about plants and herbs, Zecora. Much more so than any of the other modern ponies that I've met. Did you learn from somepony else, or are you self-taught?"

A quick, surprised laugh escaped Zecora. "Neither one or the other, but some of each. My family and I took turns to both learn and to teach. As the child the only classroom that I knew was the wild savannah and sparse forest in which I grew." Zecora's eyes lifted to a brown gourd hanging nearby with a hint of wistfulness entering her gaze. The gourd had been made glossy by long use. "It was from my mother I learned much of what I know." Her eyes cleared as they traveled over to Twilight, and Zecora smiled as she added, "I've learned much more since coming to Ponyville, though."

There was a soft crack from behind her and Zecora's ears perked up. "Ah, that would be the tea. It's reached the right temperature; at least I hope you agree."

She left the table and Luna noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned to find Twilight running a hoof down her mane, trying to straighten it. She saw Luna turning her head in her direction, and Twilight quickly put down her hoof, offering the princess a shaky smile that quickly dissolved into a nervous frown. Her eyes anxiously darted back and forth between Luna's face and Zecora's back.

Luna cocked a questioning eyebrow in Twilight's direction as she mulled over her friend's apparent nervousness. She suddenly remembered Twilight's earlier comment about hoping that she and Zecora would get along. Knowing Twilight, she was probably obsessing over whether or not Luna was going to become the best of friends with her older friends. Luna made a mental note to talk to Twilight later about her predilection toward blowing things out of proportion. While it was usually cute, all that stress couldn't be good for her health.

In the meantime, Luna offered Twilight a smile to show that she was enjoying herself. It didn't seem to be all that effective. Twilight shot a weak, sickly grin in return. Any further exchange between them was interrupted by the return of Zecora. She held a tray with three glazed earthenware cups on it in her mouth. She set the tray down on the table and quickly nosed a cup in front of each of her guests.

"Thank you, Zecora," Luna said as the zebra settled back into her seat.

"I hope that your thanks are not too hasty, and that you'll find my tea to be quite tasty," Zecora replied before she bent down and sipped at her own cup of tea. Twilight had already taken a drink, holding the cup aloft with her magic and tilting her head back slightly. Her deep drinking was an obvious indication of her enjoyment of the beverage. Luna looked down into her own cup, finding few clues as to what exactly was in it. Thanks to the dark, opaque cup, the color of the tea was impossible to make out. There was no steam rising off of it, only a cool, herbal smell.

Not entirely certain what it was she was being served, Luna lifted up the cup and took a delicate sip. The first thing she noticed was that unlike most teas, this one was served lukewarm, almost chilled. Its flavor was pleasantly sweet, and it left a refreshingly cool sensation that lingered in her mouth and throat as she swallowed the tea.

"This is quite good, Zecora!" Luna exclaimed as she set her cup down. Twilight smiled happily at seeing Luna's pleasantly surprised expression. "I've never had this type of tea before, pray tell, what is its name?"

Zecora lifted her head from her own cup and smiled slightly as she replied, "I'm glad you enjoy it, my new friend. Where I come from it's known as Lover's Blend." Luna's eyebrows rose in surprise at the unusual name, and Zecora quickly raised a hoof, waving it back and forth. "Oh no, Princess Luna, don't misunderstand, its name comes from a legend told in my homeland. There once were two zebras who loved each other dearly, and one had a duty to collect the harvest yearly. Now in the plains of my homeland the sun is quite strong, the heat is unbearable and dangerous if out in too long. So the zebra's loved one created this refreshing treat so that her beloved wouldn't fear the day's oppressive heat. And now we drink it because it's as cold and as delicious as it was in the days of old."

"I see." Luna had been enthralled by Zecora's story, and as if she'd been released by a spell, her eyes left Zecora's and turned downward toward her teacup. She looked up again to find Twilight plumbing the depths of her own cup, her unfocused eyes giving her a distracted air, as if she were deep in contemplation. With a slight shrug of her shoulders, but without taking her eyes off Twilight, Luna raised her cup and took another cool, calming sip of tea.

A companionable silence descended over the table, and as the sweet flavor of the tea revitalized her, Luna could feel the muscles in her legs and in her back slowly start to relax. She hadn't even been aware that they'd tightened.

It was strange, Luna reflected to herself, despite the somewhat unsettling decoration of Zecora's home, it had almost the same calming atmosphere as Fluttershy's cottage. Despite their being in the midst of a wild and savage wilderness, Zecora's hut felt safe and peaceful.

As Luna allowed herself to relax, she also took the opportunity to more closely examine the strange masks that were scattered about. She studied one particularly garish example with almost comically bulging eyes, and she found herself asking, "So, Zecora, what was it that led you to Ponyville?"

The question had been a casual thought that Luna had accidentally given voice to, but now that it had been asked, Luna found herself genuinely curious about Zecora's story. How she'd left such an obviously close family to live by herself in a foreign land.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Luna saw Twilight perk up and look first in Luna's direction, then toward Zecora with eager interest.

Under Luna's gaze, Zecora carefully set her cup on the table and smiled a strange, soft smile as she looked back over the years.

"The land of my birth is far away. In fact, the distance is part of why I came here to stay. My family is large and closely knit. They love their home and rarely leave it. But in my youth I wanted to travel, to explore, and to find new things nopony's seen before." She sighed softly and her smile fell. Perhaps she was remembering the less pleasant chapters of her life. "So I left the plains of my home, and for many years I did roam. Across all of Equestria I traveled, until my wanderlust finally unraveled. At last I settled in this forest so wild because it was so different from the home I knew as a child. And now that the citizens of Ponyville no longer hide, from them I can purchase the supplies the forest can't provide."

Twilight broke in, "But you said that your family was very close. Don't you get lonely out here by yourself?"

Zecora's eyes twinkled and her smile shifted into fond annoyance. "My family is close, that is indeed true, and that was part of why my restlessness grew. I love them all dearly, but in this case, this is one zebra who needs her space." Zecora's tone sobered a bit as she admitted, "But still, from time to time, I make the trip back to visit that family of mine."

She chuckled, and Luna found her amusement infections. She joined in the laughter, and soon Twilight had begun to laugh as well, though it wasn't quite obvious what was so amusing exactly. A gentle silence followed after their burst of hilarity, and Luna found her curiosity roused again, this time by the cauldron still bubbling in the middle of the room.

"If you don't mind my asking, what is it that you're preparing over the fire, Zecora?"

Zecora turned her attention to the cauldron in question, and she replied, "Ah, that's an herbal gel which many Ponyville shops have begun to sell. It smells sweet and can be used to style a mane, and it sooths joints and eases pain."

Twilight's eyes lit up and she interjected, "Oh, that's from … uh, hang on a second, I was reading about it just the other day." She tilted her head back and her horn flamed to life as she levitated another book from her saddlebags. She set it down on the table and was soon flipping through its pages. Quietly she muttered to herself, "Just one second, not aum, or chamalla, or hybernia." The pages of the book stopped turning, and Twilight pressed a triumphant hoof down on the appropriate passage as she happily proclaimed, "Found it! Athelas, a low growing vine. Poisonous when eaten raw, if prepared correctly it will create a numbing paste-like substance," Twilight read. She looked up from the book, hopefully seeking Zecora's approval.

"Very good, my young friend. In this case, the herb you call athelas is certainly the base. But there are other ingredients involved as well, to thicken the mixture and to make the pleasant smell." Zecora smiled good naturedly as she leaned more heavily on the table. "Try to guess the others, if you are able. You shouldn't even have to leave this table. I'll even provide you a clue, of the remaining parts, there's three, not two."

Twilight's smile broadened at Zecora's praise, and a determined glint came to her eyes as she purposefully bent back over her book.

Luna continued to sample her tea as she watched the tete-a-tete between Twilight and Zecora. She hid her smile with her cup as she watched Twilight energetically diving back into her studies with Zecora looking on with an expression of pleased expectation. An errant thought caused Luna's smile to falter. Was this how Celestia and Twilight had been? The loving teacher and the trusting student?

The taste of the tea was suddenly overpowering, almost nauseatingly so. Luna set the cup down with an audible click.

Just how many moments of Twilight's life had she missed? Six months ago, while Luna had been aware of Twilight's existence, she hadn't really spared her a second thought. Yet now Twilight Sparkle had worked her way into Luna's heart, and the princess abruptly realized that she resented all the time that Twilight had spent without her. It was undoubtedly an irrational feeling, but Luna still felt it nonetheless.

She considered the way Twilight had paid attention to Zecora, as if she held her opinion is particularly high regard. It was slightly different from the way Twilight had acted toward her other friends. While she obviously valued and respected them, Twilight had treated them as equals. With Zecora, and during the brief interactions with Celestia that Luna had been a witness to, Twilight seemed almost deferential. An unkind whisper in the back of her mind asked Luna why it was that Twilight never looked at her in quite that way, and unconsciously Luna's eyes narrowed as she glanced over at Zecora.

As quickly as her ill feelings had washed over her, Luna tried to banish them. Of course Twilight had lived a life before Luna. It had been Luna's own fault that she'd spent so long locked away in the moon and hadn't had the opportunity to have a hoof in guiding Equestria as a whole, and Twilight's life in particular, alongside her sister. And why shouldn't Twilight look with respect toward Celestia and Zecora? They obviously were both very well learned, and quite deserving of admiration. But still, Luna could feel a selfish corner of her heart wanting Twilight to look that way at her and nopony else.

With a start, Luna realized that she'd lapsed back into a similar vein of thought to the ones she'd had earlier in the morning. What was wrong with her? Twilight was her friend, not her … more than a friend. It wasn't like Luna really wanted her ant Twilight to become something more than friends, did she? With a feeling akin to horror, Luna realized that perhaps she'd been right when she had felt perhaps she'd crossed the bounds of friendship in her mind.

Her eyes darted guiltily from side to side as her mind raced and she sorted through her feelings.

Thanks to Twilight, Luna now had several friends. But while she cared for them, her feelings for Twilight undoubtedly ran deeper. Much deeper. But did she actually love Twilight as something more than a friend? Luna quickly waved the distasteful thought away. Any admittance that she loved Twilight more than she was supposed to was an obvious betrayal of the feelings that Twilight was gracious enough to have for her.

She couldn't love Twilight. It was obvious what had happened though. Twilight had been the first pony to show her any type of affection in so long, that Luna had poured all her tender feelings into their relationship, and had developed a small crush on her. It wasn't a real love or anything such as that, Luna reassured herself. Just a simple school filly crush that she'd hide deep inside and would eventually outgrow.

Luna had been lost in her own little world as she mulled over her feelings, and she finally surfaced from her thoughts to hear Zecora complimenting Twilight, "As usual, you are quite correct. Soon your knowledge of plants will be near perfect."

Twilight ducked her head and blushed at Zecora's praise. "Well, you're a very good teacher, Zecora."

Seeing such an intimate scene between Twilight and Zecora caused something to turn in Luna, and before she could think about it, she blurted out, "Oh my, it's getting quite late. We should be going, shouldn't we Twilight?"

Twilight's eyes snapped up to Luna, and then to a nearby window, the sunlight filtering through the forest's canopy made it difficult to guage the time of day. "I suppose you're right, Luna. We still need to pickup Spike before we go home."

"Yes, we do." Luna said rather brusquely. She stood up from the table and turned toward Zecora, forcing a smile. "Thank you for a lovely visit, Mrs. Zecora. We'll have to do it again sometime."

Zecora also quickly stood, a small, confused frown on her face, while Twilight began to hastily shove books back into her saddlebags. "Princess Luna, it was entirely my pleasure. Please do come back when you have more time for leisure."

"I'll look forward to it," Luna replied as she took long strides toward the door, causing Twilight to scramble to catch up. Luna used her magic to open the door, and Zecora followed them a little ways through it.

"I hope you look forward to your return, I know I will, but please be careful on your way back to Ponyville. Strange ponies I've seen of late in this wood and they way they act makes them seem up to no good."

"We'll keep that in mind, thanks," Luna called over her shoulder.

Twilight turned and made a small circle as she said, "Thanks for the tea, Zecora, it was great. I'll see you later."

Luna's emotions cooled as they walked away from Zecora's hut, and Luna allowed her steps to slow as she began to feel a bit foolish for her lack of composure. To cover their hasty retreat, she tried to casually remark, "Well, that was a pleasant visit, and very … interesting. I must say, Twilight, you seem to have a rather eclectic collection of friends. Although I wonder who it is that she's seen wandering around the forest. I doubt all that many ponies would casually enter the Everfree, especially somepony from outside Ponyville."

Twilight had her head turned away; focusing on her saddlebags she was tightening across her back. "It was probably some of the pegasi from Cloudsdale. They like to dare each other to come to the Everfree Forest every once in a while to see what weather not controlled by ponies is like." She turned her head to beam at Luna and glibly remarked, "And as for my friends, well, Princess Celestia did give me an assignment to go out and make new ones, and I've always been an overachiever. But to be honest, I never would have guessed that there were so many interesting ponies in Ponyville before I came here."

"Nor I," Luna laughingly admitted. Her laughter was cut short by a cry of surprise as she tripped over something sticking out of the dirt path, causing her to stumble and nearly tumble to the ground.

"Oh no, Luna, are you alright?" Twilight raced to her side, her eyes wide with concern.

Luna managed to save herself from gracelessly falling by skipping a few steps and stretching her wings in order to regain her balance. She came to a stop and frowned down at her now sore hoof and replied, "I'm alright, Twilight. I just wasn't looking where I was going and tripped over something."

She gingerly set her hoof down and put some weight back on it. Finding that while it hurt, the pain wasn't debilitating, Luna smiled reassuringly at Twilight. The unicorn let out a breath she'd been holding in, and the creases of worry around her mouth faded away.

Reassured that Luna hadn't suffered any permanent damage, both ponies turned around to look for what exactly had caused her near fall. What they found was a rectangular stone that had been mostly buried in the soft dirt of the path, at least judging by the hole left behind from where Luna had kicked it loose. Though its edges were chipped and rounded, it seemed strange that such a uniformly proportioned rock was lying in the middle of the forest.

At least Twilight appeared curious about it, since she brushed it off and levitated it to eye level where she examined it closely. On the other hoof, Luna had easily dismissed the rock as just another rock and was more than ready to head back to Ponyville and spend the rest of the day relaxing in the library with Twilight. And Spike of course, after they picked him up. Though it was entertaining to watch Twilight as she made a myriad of faces while examining the rock, all reflecting exactly what she was feeling; interest, puzzlement, recollection, confusion. Twilight had a way of making each one appear adorable.

"Hmm," she vocalized as she shut one eye and held the stone close to the other. "I know that I've seen this somewhere before, but where?"

Luna couldn't resist snorting in amusement. "It's a rock, Twilight. I'm sure you've seen one or two before. In a book at the very least."

Twilight didn't respond to Luna's good-natured gibe. In fact, she acted as if she hadn't heard Luna at all. Instead she softly observed, as if to herself, "This appears to be ponymade, and quite old. I think the depression on this side is the maker's mark." She suddenly wheeled around and energetically thrust the rock at Luna's nose. "What do you think, Luna? Can you tell what this marking is?"

More to humor her friend than anything else, Luna bent her head down to examine the rock. Twilight had turned the facet in question toward Luna, and it took the princess only a moment to identify the mark in question. Though it had been eroded by the passage of time, it was still fairly easy to make out a half-moon superimposed over a sun that had rays of light emanating from the uncovered half. "That's the old royal symbol," Luna announced. She studied the rock a bit more closely before coming to the realization, "This must be one of the pavers from the royal highway. Every twentieth stone had our emblem on it in order to announce to travelers just whose lands they were traveling through. Originally it was the main thoroughfare of Equestria, connecting all the towns and villages with our castle." With the realization came a flood of memories, of a time long ago, before her banishment.

"So that must mean that this path is the remnants of the old royal highway," Twilight theorized as she put down the stone.

Luna looked up and down the narrow path, trying to somehow reconcile it with the wide boulevard she remembered. Of course there hadn't been a forest back then, or at least it had been only a thin, tamed band of trees. In her mind's eye she tried to imagine the highway, shimmering silvery gold in the sun, cutting a path through the countryside, leading to a magnificent palace in the distance.

"Yes. I suppose so," she said sadly. Absently she asked, "Twilight, are we near the old castle?"

"The castle of the Two Sisters? It's a few hours away by hoof. Why, did you want to visit it?"

Quietly, wistfully, Luna replied, "Yes. I'd like to."

Twilight scratched her head as she pointed out, "I don't think we'd make it there before nightfall."

"Not if we walk, no. But if we fly, we should be able to travel there and back again before sunset," Luna said in a far-off voice, as if her mind wasn't entirely there with Twilight any longer.

Truthfully she wasn't exactly sure why she wanted to see her former home again. She had briefly seen its decrepit state before, shortly after her return from the moon. There likely was little if anything left thanks to the ravages of time. Yet for some reason she felt a longing to see her former castle again. Somehow it seemed important.

Her thoughts were broken by Twilight's matter-of-fact observation, "Um, Luna, I'm a unicorn. We're not exactly known for our flying ability."

Luna returned from the distant place her thoughts had taken her and smiled a bit roguishly at Twilight. "Don't worry, I've been told that I'm the second best flier in Equestria. I'll simply carry you."

Luna could practically feel Twilight's eyes as they ran over her body, gauging whether or not the princess could really carry the weight of another pony. For a few long seconds, Twilight's gaze lingered on Luna and her wings with open longing. Her obvious covetousness rekindled Luna's suspicion that Twilight secretly longed for wings of her own in order to fly the Equestrian skies freely.

She had noticed the other day that Twilight had acted strangely when Rainbow Dash and Luna had spent so much time flying together. There had also been the occasional covert glances Luna had caught Twilight stealing of her, when she must have been admiring Luna's wings. And when they slept together, Luna often found Twilight nestled into her spread wings. It all seemed to add up to Twilight harboring a secret desire to have wings as well, to experience the excitement of flying firsthoof.

Twilight quickly schooled her features, attempting perhaps to appear impartial as she replied, "I don't know, Luna. Are you sure that you're strong enough to carry me and fly halfway across the Everfree Forest?"

"Nonsense. I'm much stronger than I appear I'll have you know," Luna said, perhaps a bit churlishly. She spread her wings wide and crouched down to better present her point. "These are not merely for ornamentation, I assure you."

Twilight's eyes seemed transfixed on Luna's arching back, but she still seemed somewhat unconvinced as well as a bit flushed. "W-well, you're wings are lovely, Luna. But really, I don't know if I can … that is, I don't think that you should push yourself just to carry me."

Luna pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes in consideration. Perhaps it was time to try a different, albeit a more juvenile, tack?

"I see. You're afraid of heights."

An incredulous "What?" burst out of Twilight.

Luna's ears lowered in minor disappointment, belied by her small smile. "What else can it be? You don't want to go flying with me, even over such a short distance. You must not want to go because you're frightened."

Twilight sputtered in indignation for a second, but Luna was surprised by just how quickly she set her jaw, and with eyes sparkling with anger, or determination, or perhaps an emotion Luna couldn't quite put her hoof on, Twilight boldly stepped forward and hotly declared, "Fine, if you're okay with us flying together, then I'm okay with us flying together."

Luna fluttered he wings a bit as she stood on her hind hooves, holding out her forelegs expectantly. With stiff, awkward movements, Twilight walked over to her and put her legs around Luna's neck. Despite her calm exterior, Luna's heart was racing at the close contact, especially after her revelation earlier. However she promised herself again that as far as Twilight was concerned, she was nothing more than a friend; albeit a very good friend.

Luna wrapped her legs around Twilight, holding her close to her chest. Honestly, it had been quite some time since Luna had last carried the weight of another pony, and she didn't remember them being quite so heavy. Nonetheless, an inexplicable thrill went through her as she experimentally lifted off the ground and she could feel Twilight's soft body pressing firmly against her as Twilight reflexively gripped just a bit tighter. She felt her warm, shaky breaths against her sensitive neck and Twilight's anxious heart beating wildly through her chest, likely from elation at being able to fly.

Twilight's grip on Luna's neck limited her head's mobility, so she wasn't able to bend down far enough for Twilight to see Luna's mischievous smile as she called down, "Are you all set?"

"Ye-aaiiiiiieeeee!"

Luna didn't even wait for Twilight to finish her syllable before launching herself into the air with a powerful downbeat of her wings. Twilight's surprised scream in her ears was rather distracting though. There was a brief burst of scratching roughness as they shot through the dense foliage of the Everfree Forest and exploded into the impossibly bright azure sky. For several seconds, Luna rocket up into the air.

Twilight pressed her face tightly into Luna's neck, catching a few stray strands of her wind-tossed mane between them as she let out another little surprised and undignified shriek as Luna plummeted back toward the forest, leveling off a mere wingspan above the thick leaves. Her grip was almost suffocatingly tight and Luna could now feel Twilight's hammering heartbeat quicken to match her own. Luna flew slow, straight, and level for a few moments. Long enough for her to catch her breath from the unusual burst of activity, and for Twilight to calm down enough to loosen her stranglehold and admonish Luna, "You could have at least warned me before taking off like that!"

Blithely Luna replied, "I'm sorry. But I thought you were used to high-speed aerial stunts. RD does them all the time."

"It's one thing to watch them, and another to be in them," Twilight hotly replied.

Luna's playful tone was less than apologetic as she replied, "Sorry. It won't happen again, at least without me warning you. Now, I'm afraid that I've lost my bearings, where exactly is the castle?"

A millennium ago, when most of the surrounding countryside had been fields or pastures as far as the eye could see, the castle of the Two Sisters had been the most conspicuous landmark for miles. But a thousand years had passed and both the castle and the land around it had been drowned in a sea of gently undulating trees, whose thick leaves hid any clue of what lay beneath.

"Hmm, well, Canterlot is in that direction." Twilight peeled herself away from Luna enough to look around and lifted a hoof from Luna's neck to point out the distant city. Luna craned her head around to see where she was pointing, and now that she was looking for it, the mountain that Canterlot was built into was fairly hard to miss. "It's a little past noon, so the sun is just slightly to the west. I don't have my astrolabe with me, but I'm pretty sure that if you turn a little to the left we should be going in the right direction."

Luna laughed, causing her chest to vibrate and for Twilight to nervously clamp her hooves around her neck again. She joked, "Astrolabe? I knew you preferred Celestia to me."

Twilight twisted in Luna's hooves, trying to see the princess' expression. "What?"

"Well, if you really liked me, you'd use a sextant, not an astrolabe."

Twilight sputtered as she replied, "But … it's daytime, and there aren't any stars!"

Luna couldn't hold back her laughter anymore as she burst out, "I'm only joking Twilight." Twilight lightly pounded on Luna's chest with her free hoof and Luna asked, "Twilight?"

"Yes?"

"Do you remember how I promised to give you a warning before I did something dangerous?"

"Yes …" Twilight said questioningly.

"Then consider yourself warned," Luna said as she tightened the muscles in her back and wings.

"What do you me-EEEEEHH!"

Luna had shot forward, slicing through the air and picking up speed. Twilight clamped down tightly with her whole body as Luna abruptly accelerated. Luna wasn't sure if it was the feeling of the heat rolling off of Twilight's body, the rush of going so fast, or the thrill of skimming the trees so closely, but her entire body sang with bracing exhilaration as the trees, valleys, and rivers of the Everfree Forest zipped past them.

After a short while, Luna could feel Twilight relaxing and loosening her grip slightly. The princess was puzzled for a moment when she felt the unicorn's body shaking between in her legs. Luna cocked her head to the side and looked down to check on her passenger, and found Twilight smiling up at her, laughing like a school filly. She tried to say something to Luna, but they were going so fast that her words were lost in the wind. Luna smiled back and shook her head uncomprehendingly before turning to look forward again, a spontaneous jet of giddy laughter erupting from her. She didn't know why she felt so wonderful, was this the way other ponies normally felt? Was it because Twilight was so obviously happy?

Suddenly, a deep ravine split the forest in front of them. It was relatively narrow, but the dense fog clinging to its recesses, even in the middle of the day, hid the bottom from view. It was like a river of dank grayish mist bisecting the forest. On its far bank, hidden by centuries of plant-life, were the achingly familiar remains of her home.

Luna's mood sobered instantly. It was strange to see her castle in ruins. In her memories it was perfectly preserved and substantially larger than life. To see just how cruelly time had ravaged it was another reminder of how much the world had changed, and how much she had as well.

She banked into an easy glide, gracefully slowing down as she made a large circle around the remnants of her castle. With a delicate flutter of her wings she landed next to a rickety bridge, which stretched across the chasm next to the castle. Twilight was silent as she gracelessly slid out of Luna's grasp; her now anxious expression examining Luna's pained face.

Although Luna would never admit it, Twilight had been a bit heavy and part of her was glad that she wasn't carrying her anymore. The larger part of her shivered at the loss of warmth and longed for Twilight's touch as she forlornly gazed upon her former home.

"Well, here we are, the Castle of the Two Sisters," Twilight stated awkwardly, likely trying to shatter the melancholy silence imposed by the ruins.

Distantly Luna answered, "Yes."

Twilight took several steps toward the ruins, commenting, "I haven't been here since we came to find the Elements of Harmony."

"And I haven't returned since the defeat of Nightmare Moon." Luna slowly began to walk to catch up with Twilight as she attempted to reconcile her youthful memories with the decayed reality in front of her.

There were only a few structures of the once vast castle that were still standing, although most of them were mere shells of their former grandeur. Twilight and Luna followed the pseudo-path leading from the bridge and entered what Luna believed was once the display room for the Elements of Harmony. It had been a place where everypony was welcomed and where the manifestations of the importance of friendship were kept on display for everypony to see and reflect on.

Its soaring ceiling was gone, the windows broken, and only the useless and cracked columns stood watch over the empty dais in the center of the room. A few plants had tried invading the room, but it was still surprisingly devoid of the life that seemed to pervade the rest of the forest. Twilight walked ahead to the center of the room where the Elements of Harmony had once rested. She gave it a cursory examination before turning her attention to the naked sky overhead and the crumbling walls.

"I guess time really does take its toll."

Luna had stayed near the door, and she smiled a crooked, bitter smile as she replied, "No, actually most of the damage here was caused by my … by Nightmare Moon's battle with Celestia a thousand years ago. This was where it all ended. For a time at least."

"Oh." Twilight paid closer attention to the remnants of the room, no doubt noticing that despite the extensive damage, there wasn't much rubble, indicating that it had all been thrown outward.

Luna gathered herself and ghosted across the scarred floor, remembering how the room had once appeared, full of light and life as ponies from across Equestria congregated there. She softly trailed one wing across the display for the Elements of Harmony as she passed it, and frowned as flashes of her battle with Celestia swept over her. The shouting, the pleading, the smell of ozone and blood, the phantom pain that she still thought she could feel in her knee from time to time.

She passed through a small, nearly hidden door that lead deeper into the castle, and there was a clatter of hooves as Twilight raced to catch up. She slowed down and matched Luna's pace for a few seconds, her head swiveling back and forth as she tried to take in everything around them. Bravely, she tried to turn the topic of conversation. "So, what was it like, living here when it was the capital?"

They entered into a wide and long courtyard that Luna could have sworn was supposed to be a long gallery of portraits. She slowed down, but continued to walk forward, the tall grass tickling her stomach. "It was ..." How best to describe her past life? How it had been wonderful, and at the same time horrible. How Celestia had been her best friend and her greatest enemy. How similar the ponies of the past were to the ones of the present, and how different they were.

With a strange lilt in her voice, Luna asked, "You grew up in Canterlot, didn't you Twilight?"

Twilight paused, a bit nonplussed by Luna's question. "Well, yes. In fact the first time I left it for more than a few days was when I visited Ponyville."

"It was very much like Canterlot is now, with similar ponies, similar parties, and similar social maneuvering. Only it was smaller, simpler, and lonelier," Luna replied in a far off voice.

In the distance, birds were singing, and a gentle breeze played across the grass at their hooves. The ruined buildings ahead, softened by climbing plants, gave off a bittersweet melancholic feel, eased by the brilliant sunlight raining down. Luna paused to admire the scenery and Twilight walked closer to Luna and nuzzled her comfortingly. Shocked out of her memories by the physical contact, Luna returned to the present and smiled gratefully at her friend.

A feeling of calm came over Luna and with a lighter heart she and Twilight began to walk again, crossing the courtyard. They arrived at something of a crossroads, down a worn and cracked staircase was a garden of columns, while straight ahead was the crumbling entrance to the suite of rooms which Luna was fairly certain connected the royal quarters with the throne room.

Twilight let out a little squeal and made a beeline for a short wall leading toward the stairs. "Oh, is that the Rise of the Dawn by Green Vesper?" Twilight asked energetically, pointing out a faded mosaic. "It looks exactly like the 700 year old reproduction in the duchess of Equites' bathroom."

Luna chuckled at Twilight's scholarly inquisitiveness. "Yes, it is. There were many spectacular mosaics, murals, statues, and other works of art here." She turned to the beckoning doorway. "In fact, there was a rather spectacular mosaic in the antechamber of the throne room."

Without looking to see if Twilight was following, Luna stepped through the door and into a host of memories. The roof of the hallway was still in place, and the sunlight filtered away into darkness. Luna's coat brushed the wall of the hallway and the charred remnants of a raging fire fell to the ground. There was a beam of light at the end of the hallway and Luna urged herself on.

She entered the decayed shell of what had once been a grand hall. Now, the last vestiges of its ceiling clung tenaciously to a few mostly intact walls. A scattering of glass hinted at the beautiful stained glass windows that had once lit the elegant hall with a tapestry of colors. The floor, once an intricate mosaic depicting the birth and rise of the two sisters, was cracked and faded into a featureless grey under centuries of dust. The rest of the hall, the stairs, balconies, roof, walls, they were simply gone. For the life of her, Luna couldn't tell where the damage caused by time stopped, and where the damage caused by Nightmare Moon began.

Luna sighed in regret. It wasn't Celestia who had abandoned this castle, the home they had shared, and it hadn't been time and the elements that had destroyed it. It had been her, Nightmare Moon. She'd been the one to betray what the castle had been founded upon, love and harmony. It had been her who turned her back on her sister and the life they had built together.

Her guilty reflections were cut short as a strange sound whispered through the crumbling masonry of the castle. A bleat or a squawk, followed by the sound of something soft and heavy falling to the ground. Luna's ears pricked up at the odd noise, and she glanced toward Twilight to see if her friend had heard it as well.

However, Twilight wasn't just behind her as Luna had thought. Her confusion mounted, and Luna swirled around, searching the room fruitlessly for Twilight. Luna's confusion curdled into anxiety as she began to call out, "Twilight? Where are you?" It wasn't safe for a pony to be alone in such a place as the abandoned castle in the middle of the Everfree Forest. Perhaps it was the haunting echoes stirred from the ruins by her shout, but Luna began to feel as if something terrible had happened to Twilight when she failed to reply.

Her steps were made quick and light by unease as Luna raced back the way she'd come, every few seconds calling out, "Twilight, where are you, Twilight," without breaking her stride. She expected to see Twilight's comforting smile on the other side of every corner she raced around, but there was no reassuring glimpse of her purple friend, or even an answering voice to quell her ever-growing fears.

She raced down a crumbling stairway into what had once been a long hallway, but with its roof long absent, it was now little more than a colonnade of broken pillars rising from a lane of soft grass. It was there she stopped short. The scene playing out before her was so outlandish that it was nonsensical, and it took Luna several long moments of amazement to fully comprehend the situation.

Twilight was propped up against a fallen column, her head pressed tightly against its crumbling surface. Her pained expression, closed eyes, and limbs splayed out awkwardly all indicated that she'd suddenly fallen senseless. And over her stood Blue Blazer, the captain of the royal guard.

At first Luna thought that Twilight had fallen sick and the captain was helping her up. Her mind was too preoccupied with concern to question why he was there in the first place. But as she tensed her muscles to race to Twilight's side, Luna realized that everything was wrong.

Blue Blazer wasn't paying any attention to Twilight. His fierce, angry eyes were fixed firmly on Luna. For some reason he was wearing the full armor of the royal guard, including the razor sharp wing guards and extensions for pegasi. In addition he wasn't helping Twilight up. Instead, he was holding her down, pinning her in place with one taunt wing. The all too sharp spikes on his wing's armor were pressed into her tender and unguarded throat, just hard enough to dimple the skin.

"C-captain Blazer, what's going on here?" Luna demanded to know. She began to channel her magic, preparing it for what may come, causing the air around her horn to flicker and pulse with energy.

"I wouldn't do that, 'Princess' Luna," Blazer snarled. His face could have been made of stone for all the emotion he betrayed, but his eyes were locked on Luna and filled with an intense and desperate rage. His voice maintained an eerie calm as he stated, "If I see even the tiniest flicker of magic, I will kill your lover here. I know you're fast, and I know you're powerful, but my blade's resting on her carotid artery. Just a bit of pressure and we'll have a dead unicorn on our hooves because I don't think you're fast enough to keep me from slitting her open, or powerful enough to stop so much blood. Now, Nightmare Moon, release your power, or else."

Blue Blazer shifted slightly, putting a bit more weight on his wing, driving his steel tipped armor just a hair more into Twilight's tender throat, dimpling the skin even farther. He pressed so hard that Luna could see a tiny pool of blood welling around the artificial wing tip, transforming into a drop that slowly rolled down Twilight's nick leaving a narrow trail of red in her coat. Still unconscious, Twilight moaned in pain.

Luna's heart sped up and she felt as if she'd been dunked into a tank of ice-cold water. For some reason she had a barely controllable urge to laugh hysterically. Had the world gone mad? Only moments before, she'd been enjoying a wonderful day with her best friend, and now a pony she'd never personally injured was there threatening homicide. It was like something from a dream, or a nightmare.

All these thoughts flew through Luna's mind as she hastily released her magic, letting it fade back into the ether from whence it came. Blue Blazer was likely right, he was so close to Twilight that even a twitch of his muscles could irreparably harm her before Luna could deal with him, and she wasn't much of a healer; that had always been Celestia's talent.

Blue Blazer closely watched her actions and terrified expression through narrowed appraising eyes. As her horn ceased to glow, he said, "Good. Now, put this on."

The wing he had held folded to his side shot out, throwing a narrow rectangular object at Luna. It glinted in the sunlight before landing in the dust at her hooves. Unwilling to take her eyes off of Twilight's desperate situation, Luna glanced down at the strip of dark metal covered in fine writing. Her eyes quickly snapped back up to make sure Twilight was alright as she asked, "What is it?"

Blazer folded the wing not at Twilight's throat back to his side. "It's an inhibitor. It's designed for unicorn prisoners, to make them more manageable without their magic. I've already used one on your lover, so even if she wakes up, there won't be much she'll be able to do to help you."

Luna dragged her eyes away from the cut on Twilight's neck long enough to discover that a band identical to the one at her hooves had been wrapped around the base of Twilight's horn. By itself it seemed fairly innocuous, but knowing that it had been placed there by Blue Blazer made Luna feel as if were dangerous and dirty. As if its presence was tainting the beauty of her friend. Deep inside her, Luna's panic began to boil into a hot rage as she saw Blazer's further violation of her friend. Luna wanted nothing more than to rip the band off of Twilight and stomp it into a million pieces.

Perhaps Blue Blazer saw some of her anger, or maybe he was tired of her stalling. Either way, with a grim, determined air, he put just a bit more weight on his wing, and Twilight's blood flowed just a bit more freely down her neck. "Hurry up, Nightmare Moon, before my wing gets heavy and we have to find out whether or not you can bring a pony back from the dead."

At the sight of Twilight's blood being so carelessly and needlessly spilt, Luna's hot rage instantly cooled into a blisteringly cold fury. The pain he was inflicting on her Twilight, she would repay him a hundredfold, no a thousandfold. But first she had to get him away from her. She locked eyes with Blue Blazer, wordlessly informing him his death would be slow and painful. His eyes dared her to try.

Refusing to look away, Luna bent down and picked up the band of metal, hating the cold, greasy texture of its surface. She was unable to get it up and around her horn while it was in her mouth, so she raised a hoof and spit the strange device out onto it. Still without breaking her staring contest with Blue Blazer, Luna reached up and pressed the metal band to her horn. The moment it touched the bone, the band slithered and shifted as if it were alive, wrapping itself seamlessly around her horn.

Luna nearly fell to her knees as a painfully strange sensation crawled across her skin and raced down her spine, filling her ears with a loud roar and casting a veil over her eyes. It was as if something had been cut out of her, something immense and valuable that left an impossibly large void behind.

She blinked, and the worst of it was over.

The pain vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving only a strange numbness in its place. Luna felt disconnected from the world, as if the air around her head had congealed into a thick resin separating her from everything. Even the colors of the ruins surrounding her had been muted and made duller.

Despite these impediments, Luna tried her hardest to focus on the task at hoof. While she had been preoccupied, Blue Blazer had finally removed his wing from Twilight's throat, allowing the still unconscious unicorn to fully slump to the ground in a boneless heap. The captain began to leisurely walk toward Luna, seeming to have completely forgotten about Twilight as he focused on the princess with a stern yet triumphant smirk.

"And now, Nightmare Moon, you're nothing more than a regular pegasus."

Resolutely Luna stared back at Blue Blazer and in a voice choked by hatred she asked, "Why?"

Blue Blazer stopped mid-step and cocked his head in confusion. "Why?" he repeated. "Why? How can you ask such a question when the answer is so painfully obvious? When I was little more than a colt, I swore an oath, an unshakable and unassailable oath to protect Princess Celestia and all Equestria from all enemies, foreign and domestic." He snorted in angry amusement. "And you, Nightmare Moon, are certainly an enemy to all of Equestria, and especially to Princess Celestia."

Luna shakily straightened and cried out, trying to get Blue Blazer to see reason, "But I'm not Nightmare Moon. Not anymore!"

Blue Blazer's face twisted into a mask of rage. "I know what you are! I seem to be the only pony who does! You were one of the greatest enemies Equestria has ever faced, and you still are. The last time you were defeated, you discovered that you couldn't take the throne through naked force, not with all Equestria against you. So what did you do? You disguise yourself, and make yourself seem like some sort of tragic and sympathetic figure, and begin to spread your poison one pony at a time. First Princess Celestia, then the Elements of Harmony, then Ponyville, and eventually all of Equestria. With enough time you'll try to usurp Princess Celestia's throne again, and this time there would be nopony to stop you. Except for me, because I'm the only one to see through you, Nightmare Moon."

Even if it had been under normal circumstances, Luna would have been alarmed at just how crazed Blazer had become, and these were most decidedly not normal circumstances. The painful rush of losing her magic was fading, and she was becoming used to the dull, numbing pain it had left in its wake. But she still needed more time to recover if she wanted even the smallest chance at besting Blue Blazer without the use of her magic. So half from a need to stall, and half from outraged desperation, Luna cried out, "But why drag Twilight into this? What did she ever do to you, or anypony? I can understand you hating me, but why her? She's even Celestia's most prized student, there's no reason for you to attack her!" Luna slowly began to edge backwards, trying to put some distance between her and the captain.

"I didn't involve her in this," Blazer said coolly. "You did. You're the one who hardly leaves her mistress' side, and when you do you never let your guard down."

Luna growled out, "She's not my mistress, she's not my lover, she's my friend."

Blue Blazer snorted in contempt as he relentlessly pressed forward. "Please, spare me your lies. I've been watching you. I've seen the way you look at each other, the way you act toward one another. I've witnessed how you've seduced an innocent pony and twisted her to your will. But that's what you do, isn't it? You weasel in and play on ponies' sympathies by acting pitiful, and then you corrupt them, turning them away from the light that is Celestia, turning her away from me! But no more, I'll stop you here!"

Blue Blazer had worked himself into a frenzy, and Luna's reprieve came to an end as he leapt at her, his razor sharp armor gleaming in the sun. Luna put all her strength into her hind legs, and kicked off from the ground hard enough to leave a web of cracks behind. Time seemed to slow down as she unfurled her wings, pumping them just in time to gain a few more inches of height, enough to dodge Blue Blazer's bladed wings by a hair's breadth.

Time sped back up to normal for Luna as she began to furiously beat her wings with all her might, trying to gain altitude and pickup speed. She chanced a look backwards, finding that Blazer had recovered from his failed lunge and was in hot pursuit of her. She blew out a heavy breath and redoubled her efforts.

From behind her, Blue Blazer shouted, "Give it up Nightmare Moon! Just die, and make the world a better place!"

Luna was a good flier, some would even say a great flier, but she hadn't spent thirty years practicing maneuvers every day in full military gear, preparing, and secretly hoping for a war that would never come. Blue Blazer had, and he was gaining on her.

She looked back again and realized that he was faster than her, and he was quickly closing the gap between them. In open sky, Blazer would eventually catch up to her, and then, without her magic, it would be all over. So she needed to find someplace else to fly where Blazer's speed would count for nothing. Her heart was pumping and her adrenaline was surging, causing her to only think of the next few seconds, and leaving her unable to think up a longer-term strategy.

Luna searched for someplace to lose Blue Blazer in, and her eyes found the ruined columns of the long abandoned breezeway. For an instant, Luna recognized in them the obstacle course of clouds that RD had forced her to run over and over. Desperately, Luna dived toward the columns, gaining speed until she was flittering amongst the stone pillars, twisting and turning at a speed she would have thought insane only moments before. As she sped through the gaps between the columns, Luna caught a glint of light from the corner of her eye right before she felt a string of fire along her thigh. It was more alarming than painful, but the scratch was simply a promise of what was to come. Blue Blazer banked left while Luna baked right, putting the bulk of the columns between them.

Luna didn't have much of a plan, other than to get away. Well, lead Blue Blazer away from Twilight and then get away. Perhaps if she was fast enough and agile enough, she'd be able to fly through the Everfree Forest and find some help. She turned in the direction she thought Ponyville was in, and shot out over the gorge separating the ruins from the rest of the forest. She'd lost sight of Blue Blazer and hoped that meant he'd lost sight of her as well.

"It's no use running, Nightmare Moon. I chose to attack you here, now, because for the first time you're too far away for anypony to come and help you." Blue Blazer called out from behind her, his tone was almost jocular.

Instead of looking back to see how closely he was following her, Luna redoubled her efforts, aiming for the nearby treeline. She felt the dense leaves and branches of the forest tearing at her as she dove into the relative safety of its depths, slowing down only a fraction as she wildly careened through bushes and brambles. Luna's heart was pounding in her ears, and her breath was exploding from her in huge gasps as she swerved around trees and through vines. She spied an especially dark section of the forest and dove inside, tightly hugging the shadows as she came to a shuddering halt, her body refusing to move any further without at least a moment's rest.

Fearfully she tried to calm down her shuddering breaths and racing heart, certain that they were loud enough to give her location away. She raised her head slightly and peered through the brambles back the way she'd come, cocking her ears in search of the sounds of somepony crashing through the underbrush after her.

Several tense seconds passed and Luna was finally able to get her heaving chest under control. Aside from her gasping breath, the forest was completely silent.

"You're only delaying the inevitable, Nightmare Moon," Blue Blazer called out from above.

Luna looked up through the boughs above to find the pegasus hadn't followed her into the thick of the forest, deciding instead to fly above it and search for her from the air. As Blue Blazer flew over her, seemingly unaware of her hiding place, Luna finally allowed herself to relax a little for the first time since the whole insane scenario had begun.

If she stayed to the danker parts of the forest, perhaps she could make it back to Ponyville, or at least Zecora's hut, in only a matter of hours. So long as she stayed low and moved slowly, and so long as Blue Blazer stayed above the forest's canopy, he wouldn't be able to find her. She'd get back to Ponyville and get help, while Blue Blazer fruitlessly searched for her, and then she'd return and save Twilight. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was the best one that Luna could come up with under such short notice.

She waited for Blazer to cross over her once more before she began to slink into an adjacent shadow that she hoped was one step closer to Ponyville. However, Luna's heart froze when Blue Blazer loudly shouted out, "If you refuse to show yourself, then I'll have no choice but to attack the symptom of your disease, Nightmare Moon! After all she's lying back there, all alone and defenseless. I don't want to do it, but if I can't defeat you, I'll defeat your followers."

Panic flooded through Luna at the thought that once Blue Blazer grew tired of chasing after her, he'd go and torture poor Twilight. Desperately she ran through her options in an instant. None of them were very good, and all of them would likely fail. But it would be better to fail and have Twilight come out of this relatively unscathed, then to not try at all and face the even worse fate of having abandoned her friend.

Quickly she put together a nascent plan of somehow catching Blue Blazer by surprise and goring him with her horn. Not wanting to dwell on just how bad a plan it was, Luna crouched down low and wound her muscles up in preparation for a single, powerful, desperate lunge.

Blue Blazer was flying in a rough circuit, and the next time he drew close to her hiding place, Luna leapt. She burst from the forest in an explosion of midnight blue and black, focusing all her weight on the tiny point at the tip of her horn, aimed directly at Blue Blazer's stomach.

If it had been almost any other pony, Luna would have fatally wounded them. But as quick and fluid as water, Blue Blazer turned and twisted in the air, her horn tearing a long, jagged streak across his thigh. But despite her surprise attack, Blazer was able to twist himself so quickly that he was able to buck Luna in the process, using her momentum against her to send her flying in an arch back toward the ruined castle.

She landed roughly on her side, gracelessly sliding across the stony ground next to the chasm in front of the castle, as her breath exploded from her in a painful spasm. Blue Blazer was bearing right for Luna as she shoved her pain aside and forced herself to her feet. One good buck deserved another. Blue Blazer was dangerously close when Luna spun around with a surprising agility and kicked back and up with all her might. There was a satisfying crunch of metal that shot through her hooves with enough force to rattle her teeth, and the sound of breath exploding from pony lungs erupted from behind her.

Luna wheeled around to find Blue Blazer rocketing back toward the forest before the thick trunk of a tree abruptly stopped him. He bounced off of it heavily and collapsed in a heap on the ground. Luna knew she should take advantage of the opportunity to finish him off, but her aches and pains decided that they were tired of being ignored, and it was all she could do to simply stand. She looked on as Blue Blazer shook his head a few times and unsteadily climbed to his hooves.

"That was a good kick, but it's over now," he gasped out, unable to draw an adequate breath due to his heavily dented breastplate. "Without your magic, you're just as mortal as the rest of us. You can't out fly me, you can't outrun me, and you can't outfight me." Blue Blazer began to stalk toward her once more. "Your evil will end here. I'll kill you, and then to make sure your taint will never again threaten Equestria, I'll even dispose of your lover as well, just to make sure that your foul lies won't spread any further."

Through weary lips Luna whispered, "Twilight?" It was unfathomable to her, after having fought so hard that it was all for nothing, that not even her own death would be able to save Twilight's life. In a far, distant corner of her soul, an icy hatred began to flow into her veins.

"Yes, it's unfortunate …"

The rest of what Blue Blazer said was lost in the roar of blood in Luna's ears.

The world seemed to slow down and come to a stop. An image flashed through Luna's mind as abruptly and as devastatingly as a burst of lightning: Twilight unconscious and defenseless, blood pooling around her, matting her coat and mane, with Blue Blazer standing triumphantly over her motionless form. Luna felt the sensation of ice expanding under her skin, which brought with it a strange calm. With a newfound strength she stood up tall and stared remorselessly straight into Blue Blazer's eyes, feeling almost as if she could see his bitter twisted soul in their depths.

How dare he harm Twilight. How dare he even think of killing her, much less brag about it. He would pay for all the pain he'd caused her and for all that he'd planned to cause her.

Luna didn't notice when the inhibitor ring broke and fell from her horn, sparks of energy leaping between the shattered and scorched flakes.

Blue Blazer certainly noticed. His elated expression turned to one of alarm, and then to grim resignation. He clenched his jaw in determination and launched himself at Luna in a desperate final assault. His aim was sure and true, the blades on his wings angled for her long, delicate neck. He covered the distance between them in an instant. But, just millimeters from her skin, Blue Blazer's blade was caught by an invisible force. For a moment he was held in place as he struggled and strained to cross that last infinitesimal gap. Eerily calm, Luna contemplated his desperate and angered face as he put all his strength into moving forward just a whisper.

She blinked, and Blue Blazer was hurled away from her by the magical barrier surrounding and coursing through her. Luna could feel the magic overtaking her. It was a good pain.

Blue Blazer shot across the open space until he again hit a tree, this time with enough force to cause it to splinter and crack before he slid down its broken trunk. It was Luna's turn to take careful, precise steps as she stalked toward the fallen pony. She called forth more and more magic, and it easily, greedily flowed into her. She didn't notice that she'd begun to loom over the captain from an unnatural height, or that the color was being stripped from the sky as the sun dimmed and the day faded into darkness. All her attention was focused with laser-like intensity on the pathetic pony in front of her who was trying feebly to climb to his hooves.

Luna sent out tendrils of her magic and the forest around them began to twist and turn in unnatural growth. The trees and other plants became larger, darker, more menacing. Hideous faces seemed to appear on the scarred tree trunks and their branches creaked and groaned, though there was no breeze.

With fear and resolution born from despair etched upon his face, Blue Blazer attempted to launch himself at Luna once more, but he was pulled up short by a vine that his hoof had become entangled in. He frantically tried to shake it off, but another vine rose out of the grass and after lassoing another hoof, pulled itself taunt. As Blue Blazer wildly thrashed around with Luna calmly looking on, more and more vegetation rose up to restrain him, some even going inside his armor and pulling it tight until the steel cracked and fell from his body.

"You won't get away with this, Nightmare Moon!" Blue Blazer raged, his mouth beginning to foam.

Luna didn't bother to reply, electing to direct a tree root to gag the doomed pegasus. She felt oddly detached as she contemplated her prisoner. How best to repay him for his actions? For not only hurting her, but hurting and threatening her precious Twilight. Simply ripping out his throat would be too quick, too easy. She'd have to take her time, make him suffer. Should she tear off his wings? No, that would be too quick as well. Perhaps she should begin by breaking his bones, one by one, starting with the smallest, and most fragile ones in his wings first. With a particularly unpleasant smile, Luna sent out a surge of magic and Blue Blazer began to scream and thrash in pain as all the vegetation holding him suddenly grew long, sharp barbs.

Her sadism was interrupted as a weak voice called out to her, "Luna?"

Her head whipped around and she found Twilight hesitantly standing on the bridge leading back to the castle, regarding Luna and Blue Blazer with uncertainty.

Luna felt her heart swelling with relief and love. The warmth she felt at seeing Twilight alive and unharmed forced out the ice-cold numbness that had settled over her along with her magic. Luna smiled widely and happily cried out, "Twilight!" The sun burst back into life, the plants untwisted themselves and became normal once more, and Luna found the ground a bit closer than it had been a moment ago. The vines and roots that held down Blue Blazer were still there, but they had once again become smooth and painless.

Happily, Luna turned in order to run to her friend, but as she did so, a crack ripped through the air. The rope holding the bridge violently broke under Twilight's weight. For one eternally long moment, the unicorn hung in midair, her wide, fearful, and disbelieving eyes locked with Luna's as she watched, horrified and frozen to the spot. And then Twilight was gone, her piercing scream echoing up from the depthless fog filling the chasm at Luna's hooves.

Panic wiped all thought from Luna's mind, and instinctively she leapt into the void after Twilight. She tucked her wings and legs as tightly to her body as she could, streamlining her body to pick up as much speed as possible. Almost immediately the dense fog closed over her and visibility was reduced to nothing. Desperately Luna chased after the hole in the clouds she thought Twilight had fallen through.

Luna strained as she stretched out her forelegs with all her strength, as if she could catch Twilight with determination alone. She wasn't sure if the screaming she heard was the wind in her ears, Twilight's cry for help, or the memory of a sound that would stalk her for years. The mist covered her in a dense dew, which coupled with her sweat and the blinding wind to cause her eyes to burn and water. She narrowed them, but refused to blink, afraid that if she closed her eyes for a moment she might miss the crucial sight of Twilight.

The fog grew thicker and much damper. The sunlight overhead disappeared and the world became a featureless grey swirl ending just beyond her hooves. The mist was so thick that Luna lost all reference to which way was up, and for an agonizingly long moment, it seemed as if she was no longer moving at all, but frozen in place and time.

Just as she was on the cusp of giving up hope, through a narrow gap in the clouds, Luna caught the briefest of glimpses of a flailing hoof. With renewed determination, Luna urged herself on, desperately trying to wring just a little more speed from her dive.

Suddenly she broke into a clear space between the layers of fog. Only a length or two below her, Twilight was writhing in panic, staring up at Luna with wide, terrified eyes. Her mouth was open in a scream and she reached up to Luna pleadingly.

Luna's heart soared in elation at the sight of Twilight. There was still time for her to save her. But it seemed as if it took an eternity to close the gap between them, inch-by-inch. Her hooves were only a hair's breadth from Twilight as they plunged into the next layer of clouds and the light was shut out so completely that Luna lost sight of Twilight once more. But she didn't need to see any longer to know where Twilight was. With a final burst of speed she managed to wrap her hooves tightly around Twilight.

She pulled her close to her body and shouted, "It's alright, Twilight, I've got you!" But her words were ripped away by the wind.

Luna snapped her wings out and strained to pull up out of the dive. The muscles in her back screamed in agony under the inordinate strain as she tried to change directions. It felt as if the whole world had slammed into her withers. Still, slowly, Luna began to level off, though she was still going incredibly fast. Abruptly the clouds parted again and Luna had a momentary glimpse of dark, turbulent grey and boiling white. Without thinking, she rolled, trying to protect Twilight from the impact, and then they hit the river at the bottom of the chasm.

Her wings felt as if they were wrenched out of their sockets, and water rushed into her eyes, ears, and nose. Luna and Twilight rocketed through the water headfirst, until she felt a hard crack just above her eye, and the world went away.

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><p>Thank you Lambotrist and Pyrite for editing this and setting me right.<p>

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, but I've changed jobs, going from a junior UNIX admin to a junior HPC admin. Don't worry, I didn't know what that was until I became one either. I also didn't know how much work it is until I became on either. But hey, at least now I have a very in-depth grasp of perl, a slightly better grasp of java, and am starting the fun and exiting challenge of learning cuda and fortran. Nothing like writing fortran 77 (or C, while I was picking up cuda) in vi. It's like I'm coding as my forefathers once did.

Also, don't know if you noticed, but this chapter is kinda long. I didn't really intend for it to be that way, but that's how it turned out. I think it clocks in at around 20.5 k words in the final version. If you count outlines and parts of the rough draft that didn't make it in, I think I wrote about 60k words for this chapter. But I find that writing is much like growing wine. In order to get the taste just right, sometimes you have to burn down the vineyard, grow new vines, and start all over again.

Hey, check it out, v-invidia over on deviant art drew a picture to go along with the story. v-invidia\.deviantart\.com/art/Waking-with-Company-284366078 That's pretty awesome, in my opinion at least, but I may be biased.


	8. Part 2f subsection 2

I don't own My Little Pony

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><p>Luna's return to consciousness was as abrupt as it was confusing. One moment she'd been … what had she been doing?<p>

Luna gave her head a shake, but it seemed her memory had fled her. Coming to the conclusion that her memories would return in due time, Luna took stock of the throne room she found herself in.

She was in the new castle, seated on a throne next to Celestia's. Luna felt that something was wrong, aside from the holes in her memory, but she couldn't quite put her hoof on it. The room was filled with a densely packed crowd of happily smiling, yet oddly silent ponies, all of whom were focused on the six kneeling forms in the center of the room, at the foot of the dais that the princesses' thrones occupied.

Celestia's rich voice broke through the strange sensations surrounding Luna. "Twilight, you and your friends may rise. After all you've done for Equestria, there doesn't need to be such formality between us."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Twilight said as she and the other Elements of Harmony stood up. Their beaming smiles eerily matched those of the crowd surrounding them.

The general sense of unease that had settled over Luna, was banished by the sight of Twilight and the rest of her friends. She tried to smile widely, hoping that Twilight would turn her attention toward her, and away from Celestia. But Luna's mouth refused to cooperate. It seemed locked into a neutral frown, and no matter how she tried, she couldn't force herself to change its shape. She attempted to lift a hoof up to feel her face, but in growing alarm she found that she wasn't able to move any part of her body at all.

Well, nearly every part. She found that she was still able to move her eyes as she frantically darted them around the room. She first tried to find the likely reason behind her petrifaction, but failing in that, she looked beseechingly at Twilight and her other friends, silently pleading for their help. However, it seemed as if nopony else noticed anything wrong with Luna. Or even noticed her at all.

"As a reward for saving the Kingdom of Equestria yet again, I've prepared a special celebration for you all in the Royal Gardens," Celestia announced. "Come with me everypony, a wondrous banquet and great revelry await us."

From the corner of her eye, Luna could only watch as Celestia stood up, and passed in front of her, seemingly completely unaware, or uncaring, of Luna's presence. The crowd cheered Celestia as she descended the throne, and the great doors leading into the throne room opened of their own volition. Celestia stopped long enough to lovingly nuzzle Twilight, who returned the embrace with enthusiasm. She then lead the multitude of exuberant ponies through the massive doors, leaving Luna alone, frozen atop the throne. Almost as a matter of course, as the last pony left through the doorway, the massive doors slammed closed with an ominous and reverberating bang.

Luna felt ready to weep from frustration at her inability to move. She redoubled her efforts to struggle against her invisible shackles, but try as she might; she couldn't so much as blink. She tried to summon her magic, to do something, anything, but it too failed her.

After several minutes of fruitless struggling, Luna slumped in exhausted defeat; as much as a pony frozen in place could slump. She focused her attention on the world outside her internal exertions and found that most of the lights in the throne room had gone out. In fact, there was only a small pool of flickering light left surrounding her. The rest of the room had become blanketed in absolute darkness. Which was odd, Luna thought to herself. Surely she would have felt the blast of air from the door's closing, if it had been strong enough to extinguish the lights around the room.

Abruptly, the sound of hoofsteps echoing off the stone floor came to Luna's ears. It was a calm, measured step, one full of purpose and coming from somewhere behind the throne. Except that she wasn't on the throne any longer. Somehow, when she wasn't looking, the throne and the dais it rested upon had disappeared, leaving Luna sitting on the cold, unprotected floor.

"They left you all alone, again, didn't they, Luna?" A velvety voice asked from the darkness. The few remaining lights flickered wildly, nearly guttering out, and Luna felt a moment of panic at the thought of being alone in the dark with the owner of that voice.

The hoofsteps continued to sedately follow the perimeter of light. "They always do, don't they?" she continued pleasantly. "Most ponies don't even bother getting to know you, do they? And why should they, Luna? Who would bother with poor little Luna after they've gotten what they need? Whether it's your power, a way to get to your sister, or simply because they had nothing better to do, you're nothing more than a means to an end, Luna. Somepony to simply be used and thrown away. And that, dear Luna, is because you're weak."

The owner of the voice finally entered the gloom at the very edge of the light in front of Luna, and with a smirk of superiority leered down at her. As she had suspected and feared, it was Nightmare Moon, hale and healthy, appearing exactly as she had before her defeat by the Elements of Harmony.

"I'm not weak, and you're not real, you can't be!" Luna cried out, finally finding her voice.

Nightmare Moon shook her head and snorted in disappointment as she stepped closer toward Luna. The lights around them dimmed, as if being suffocated by the encroaching darkness. Though she frowned pityingly, there was a happy, almost sadistically merry lilt to Nightmare Moon's voice as she replied, "Poor Luna. It's no wonder other ponies look down on you so much. Your ignorance is simply breathtaking." Her voice grew stern, menacing as she began to circle the now crouching Luna, only a length away.

"You were destroyed by the Elements of Harmony," Luna said desperately, trying to convince herself as much as Nightmare Moon. She tried to twist around, to follow her tormentor's movement, but she was still frozen in place, and could only imagine what Nightmare Moon was doing while her hoofsteps slowly moved behind her.

A snort of laughter echoed from the other side of Luna, and she quickly turned her eyes in that direction, eventually finding Nightmare Moon again, continuing her circuit. "I see that you're an expert on my existence. You did create me after all, so I suppose that I should bow to your superior knowledge."

Nightmare Moon's face was screwed into a mocking sneer, and she didn't pause as she passed in front of Luna. "So, all knowing princess, please tell me, if I no longer exist, then what am I doing here?"

Luna closed her eyes, as if she could banish Nightmare Moon simply by not looking at her. "You're not real; you're just a dream, a figment of my imagination."

A hollow chortle followed Luna's words, and Nightmare Moon stated, "I see. So I'm just … a daydream of yours. Well, I suppose if that's all that I am, then you can simply banish me by dreaming of something else, something more … pleasant."

Despite the mocking undertone in Nightmare Moon's words, Luna tried just that. With her eyes screwed tightly shut, she imagined herself in someplace that was the antithesis of Nightmare Moon's domain. A wide open field, bathed in warm sunlight, with a soft breeze creating waves in the long grass.

She noticed that everything had fallen silent, so slowly, Luna cracked open her eyes to find out if it had worked. Instead of the warm summer valley she had imagined herself in, she was still in the same dark stone room, stuck in the same position, with Nightmare Moon standing in front of her, regarding her with a cruel and sardonic smile.

"Welcome back. Did you have a pleasant journey, Luna?"

Through gritted teeth, Luna growled out, "Why are you here? Why aren't you gone, why aren't you destroyed?

Nightmare Moon's eyes flamed with barely contained anger, and her voice became savage. "I think you know why I'm here. So long as you live, so will I. I'm part of you Luna, and I always will be. I live in the weak and the wounded, and you're so very, very weak."

"Stop saying that!" Luna nearly screamed, futilely trying to throw herself at Nightmare Moon. "I'm stronger now than I've ever been. I have friends now, and I'm not ruled by hate and envy any longer. I don't need you anymore, Nightmare Moon. Nopony needs you, or wants you. Why don't you just disappear?!"

Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes and frowned down at Luna in disgust. "And you think that friends make you stronger? You have no concept of what true strength is. By having friends, by depending on somepony else, you've become weaker. Real strength comes from within and can only be measured when you're alone and at your weakest. And when you were at your weakest, Luna, from where did you find your strength?"

Luna struggled to meet Nightmare Moon's cold, dead eyes, and simply shook her head in denial.

The few remaining lights began to gutter, causing the shadows to dance, and circle of light around them to begin to break apart and dwindle. In the strengthening gloom, Nightmare Moon seemed to loom over Luna.

Through clenched teeth, in a whisper full of hate and malice, Nightmare Moon hissed out, "In your moments of weakness, you called for me, Luna, and I answered. Who was it who freed you from that silly little ring, and gave you back your magic? Who was it that defeated that pegasus, saved the life of your love. You needed me." The anger left Nightmare Moon's voice, and she seemed almost friendly as she said, "You'll always need me, Luna. So I'll always be here, waiting in the dark. But the next time you call me, I won't be so easy to banish."

Nightmare Moon ghosted by Luna, training her chilly tail across Luna's cheek as she disappeared back into the inky blackness. Luna wanted to shout out her frustration and anger, to deny what Nightmare Moon had said, but her rage was impotent and best directed at herself. She weakly continued to shake her head in denial, but deep in her heart, Luna found it hard to deny Nightmare Moon's words.

Luna knew that in some ways, she was weak. In a dark corner of her soul, she could feel a cold breath of seductive power. It would be so easy to simply let go, to give into that part of her that desperately wanted to be free, the part that promised her power and fame that would outshine even her sister's. Why should she languish in the shadows any longer? Had she ever had more freedom, more power, more respect, then when she was Nightmare Moon? It was difficult to turn her back on that promise of power, even knowing full well the consequences, not only for herself, but for all Equestria. And that made Luna bow her head in shame. Any decent and good pony would have rejected such thoughts out of hoof. That she couldn't only proved just how far she had fallen.

Luna collapsed into a heap of self-recrimination, heedless of the fact that she was now able to move once more. What did physical freedom matter when she was her own tormentor and her prison was her own mind? Little by little the weak light surrounding Luna diminished, and the pressing darkness tightened around her.

Just as the final vestiges of light began to fade away, leaving her alone in the dark with whatever lived there, an angelically beautiful voice cut through the shadows. "Luna? Luna! Oh, please be okay ..."

Even in the darkest pit, Luna recognized Twilight's dulcet voice. She latched onto it, and was flooded with warmth as memories of her friend flowed past her eyes. Luna felt her slipping resolve harden. Nightmare Moon might have a fragment of the truth. Perhaps she was weak. Perhaps she would never be as strong as Celestia without giving herself to Nightmare Moon, but with friends, she didn't need to be the strongest.

Luna looked up to exuberantly reassure Twilight that she was alright, and found herself violently coughing and dry heaving. A horrible taste that seemed to be made of equal parts mud and bile filled her entire mouth. She turned her head and spit out the vile residue in a rather unprincessly manner, quickly realized that she was lying on her back atop a beach made of smooth but uncomfortably cold and wet pebbles, with Twilight anxiously leaning over her. For a whirling moment, Luna wondered where the throne room had gone, but then the last vestiges of her dream disappeared.

Her head pounded, and her body felt worn out, as if she'd been running for hours on end, and her vision seemed reluctant to come back into focus. Twilight's face was close to Luna's, and though the unicorn's eyes shone with hopeful happiness, they were also bloodshot and weary. In fact, Twilight looked nearly a bad as Luna felt. Her mane and coat were badly mussed, clumped up in places with stiff mud, and there were several new bruises marring her beautiful coat.

"Oh, Luna!" Twilight cried out happily. "You're finally awake." Tears gleamed in her eyes as she leaned down to pull Luna into an almost painfully tight hug. "I was so worried," she whispered into Luna's ear, before pulling away slowly, almost reluctantly. Her voice rose into a near whine as she said, "We were going so fast when we hit the water, and when you hit your head on the rocks, and blood was everywhere, and the current was so strong ..." Twilight hastily wiped at her eyes with a dirty hoof, smearing a little more mud on her face. "I never realized how dependent on magic I was until I couldn't use it. It took everything I had to pull you from the river," she said with a hiccup and a voice full of self-recrimination.

Luna groaned as she propped herself up, eventually managing to make it to her hooves. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Twilight," she whispered, unsure of whether she could manage anything louder with her throat feeling as rough as the beach beneath their hooves. She cleared her throat daintily before continuing, "I think you've done a marvelous job, all things considered."

Twilight began to pace back and forth, causing Luna's head to ache as she tried to follow the quickly moving unicorn. "Oh yeah, I've done a really great job so far. All I could do was pull us out of a river and perform CPR on you, and then collapse and hope you'd wake up again. If I had my magic, there'd be a million things I could have done. We'd already be back in Ponyville and have that cut on your head cleaned up properly."

Luna raised a hoof to her forehead questioningly, and after a few tentative probes, found the source of her headache was indeed a sizable gash right next to her horn. The pain it gave off was a dull, persistent ache, something easily ignorable until they found help. Unfortunately, Luna didn't have Celestia's knack for healing magic.

Her still muddled thoughts returned to what Twilight had just said; that she'd performed CPR on her. Luna lowered her hoof to her grime encrusted lips and winced slightly. It had to have been a rather unpleasant experience for Twilight, and Luna wasn't sure whether she should be grateful or not for being unconscious for it.

"Well, that's not how I imagined our first kiss would have gone," Luna commented. It wasn't until she saw Twilight's shocked expression that she realized that she'd said that aloud and hadn't merely thought it. Hoping that Twilight had misheard her, or thought that it was merely the bump on her head talking, Luna quickly continued, "Honestly though, we're both alive and for the most part hale. I'm sure that together we'll find our way out of this mess."

Twilight finally stopped pacing as she snorted and faced Luna. "I couldn't even start a fire without my magic. Look at us, we're both shivering. We're going to catch cold and die down here, and it's going to be all my fault."

"Nopony is going to die down here," Luna said a bit more harshly than she intended. She noticed that she'd begun to shake slightly, either from the frigid cold or the leftover terror from their earlier plunge. She quickly softened her tone. "You've done the best that you could, Twilight, and nopony could ask for anything more." Her eyes scoured the small pebble beach bounded by the swift flowing river and impossibly sheer cliffs disappearing into the fog. "Besides which, I don't see anything flammable here anyway." In an attempt to lighten the mood, she joked, "Unless there was a chapter in your survival book on how to set fire to rocks."

Twilight weakly chuckled and snorted while wiping at her eyes. "There probably was, but I lost my saddlebags when we were in the river. I guess I'm not that good a librarian if I can't even manage to return my own books."

Luna tottered over to Twilight and stood close by her, sharing her body warmth while nuzzling her lightly. "Well then, I guess we'll just have to get back to the library and order you a new copy. If we don't, how will we ever find out how to survive in the wilderness?"

Twilight weakly smiled. "Maybe we should get two copies. One for the library and one to be checked out to explorers who might get lost out here."

An image suddenly flashed before Luna's eyes; Twilight being tightly constricted by a large snake, being pulled up into a tree, and using her magic to frantically skim through a book on survival, looking for the chapter on very large snakes. With a silent, inner spurt of laughter, Luna decided to keep that thought to herself.

With a bemused smile, Luna fondly eyed Twilight. "Well, I suppose a good start on the path of getting back to the library would be to get your magic back." She stepped back from Twilight and turned her attention to the hateful ring still choking off her magic. She closed her eyes and focused on gathering her own magic from the ether and concentrating it in her horn sending out tendrils of her power, seeking and lightly tightening around Twilight, probing and mapping her magical field. The sensations she received back were quite alarming. Luna had expected to find a powerful, but well controlled force of nature, submitting to, but not bending to her magic's touch, like a sleeping giant. But what she found instead was sheer primal force blocked off, waiting to be freed, like a muscular tiger trapped in too small of a cage.

The familiar-tasting streams of magic surrounding Twilight were whirling around her, but all of them were being forced through a tiny black dead zone on her forehead where the magic would normally have been at its brightest. Luna focused her magical energies on the dead spot, and felt hints of winding passages, of long and dark labyrinthine corridors. It felt a little too much like the mind of a madpony, and Luna shuddered from her examination of it. She didn't feel up to investigating the distasteful band any further, and instead, simply began to pour her raw magical power into it. No matter how well designed the ring was, it was never meant to hold against the magical reserves of a princess.

With her eyes closed, Luna couldn't see the tendrils of black smoke that rose from the ring, but with her senses attuned to the magic surrounding them, she could feel it as it began to crack and crumble, as well the white hot magic that was turbulently surging beneath it. With a sound like a steel bell being struck by a hammer, the ring broke apart into several pieces, and Twilight yelped in pain.

"Are you hurt?" Luna anxiously asked, blinking her eyes as her vision adjusted to the normal world.

"I don't ... I don't think so," Twilight replied uncertainly. She sunk down to her knees with a confused expression on her face. "I've never felt something like that before. It was like a spark shot through me, all the way from my horn to my tail. And suddenly I felt really, really tired."

Seeing her friend in such a vulnerable state reemphasized to Luna just how dire their situation was. She didn't want Twilight to see, but she was feeling very drained as well, especially after channeling so much power into freeing Twilight from the magic inhibitor. The cold was making itself known again, and Luna crouched down to give Twilight support, hoping that her shivering wasn't as noticeable as it seemed to her. The aches and pains from her fall were demanding more of her attention now that the damp chill surrounding them had settled into her. It felt as if somepony had beaten her mercilessly from her nose to tail.

Judging by Twilight's shivering, her cuts, and the still forming bruises only partially obscured by splotches of cold, sticky mud, she felt just as poorly as Luna. With anxious eyes Luna looked up into the impenetrable fog overhead, trying to judge just how far up the cliff walls extended. From the way her wings and back felt, as if somepony had dropped a boulder on them, flying out was not going to be an option. She could turn herself into a mist, but that took a lot of magical energy, with just as much to solidify herself again. Besides which, she'd never tried to carry another pony along with her in that form, and wasn't sure what the potential side effects would be. Still, they needed to get off the cold, unprotected beach.

"Twilight, be strong. We need to get out of here and back to Ponyville," Luna said gently, trying to have enough strength for both of them.

Twilight seemed to find a second wind, and stood up fully, locking her knees and leaning only slightly against Luna. "Yeah, you're right." She surveyed their surroundings and sighed, "The question is, how?"

"I wasn't really paying attention to just how far we fell," Luna admitted. "But I'm not sure if I have the strength to fly us both back to the top."

"Well, what if you flew back up by yourself, found some help, and came back for me?" Twilight suggested.

"No." There was a degree of finality to Luna's voice. "We entered this predicament together, and we will leave it together. I won't leave you behind, Twilight."

"But what if it's our only option?" Twilight asked a bit confrontationally. She pulled away from Luna's side and stood without her support.

Luna didn't want to upset Twilight any further, but she'd already rejected any notion of her leaving her friend behind out of hoof. But to placate her, Luna replied, "Then we'll keep the idea as a last resort. Though, to be honest, I'm not sure if I can get back without you Twilight. I feel all used up."

Twilight's standoffish expression softened into concern and sympathy. "I know what you mean, Luna. But you're right; we need to get out of here while we still have the energy." She looked up into the greyish white ceiling above them, calculating distances in her head. "I might be able to teleport us to the top," she offered.

"Are you sure, Twilight? We don't even know how far that is."

Twilight smiled wearily as she replied, "I've done it before. Though I did have several dragons chasing me that time. We should be okay."

"I'm not sure-"

Twilight cut off Luna with a strange smile and a glint in her eye. "Trust me, Luna."

The sincerity in Twilight's reassurance, as well as the determination in her eyes silenced Luna. All she could do was nod, and hope for the best.

Twilight moved closer to Luna, pressing her body against the princess'. She scrunched up her face in concentration and Luna could feel Twilight's coat prickle against hers as energy gathered around them. With the sound of arching electricity, the world around them transformed into a universe of pure, beautiful, white light.

Luna could feel crackling bolts pulsing around them, closing in and squeezing the two ponies tighter and tighter. At first it tingled, sending almost pleasurable jolts across her coat and down her spine. But soon the tingling sensation began to burn. Just as suddenly as they'd been shot into the stark white expanse, they returned to the real world in a white glow that quickly faded away, taking most of the burning pain with it, and leaving them a few inches from the forest floor.

Both Luna and Twilight stumbled heavily to the ground, soot and singe marks added to their mud, bruises, and cuts. Twilight collapsed, having obviously overexerted herself and exhausting the meager strength she'd had left. To be honest, Luna wasn't feeling much better, physically at least. But thanks to her still low magical reserves, the best she could do was to simply ignore the pain by turning her mind's attention away from her aches.

She hobbled over to where Twilight had sprawled into an ungainly heap from their fall. Not too certain of just what she could do for her friend, but wanting to do something, anything, she leaned down to delicately touch the tip of her horn to Twilight's forehead. She hadn't really tried to heal another pony in quite some time, so she simply hoped that the energy she was pouring into Twilight was beneficial. She could feel network of magical strands that surrounded and coursed through Twilight, many of which were sluggish, while others were jagged and torn. She wove her own magic around those strands and lightly knitted them back together, in some cases supplementing Twilight's magic with her own.

Luna opened her eyes, and as she watched, the worst of Twilight's bruises, and even some of her minor cuts, faded. After a few minutes, Twilight's breathing shifted from labored exhaustion into a much calmer rhythm. A few minutes more, and she opened her eyes and was able to gather her limbs together and gingerly climb to her hooves.

Luna stepped away as Twilight stood up. Their faces were still inches apart, and Twilight gratefully whispered, "Thank you, Luna." She sighed and lifted a hoof to rub her weary face.

"Thank you, for getting us out of that crevice," Luna whispered back. She mimicked Twilight's actions and lifted a hoof to assuage the ache that had begun to radiate from her forehead while she'd been using her magic. She frowned when she lifted her hoof away, and found fresh blood on it. She quickly looked up to see if Twilight had noticed the renewed bleeding, but thankfully she still had her eyes closed.

Twilight finally lowered her hoof and opened her eyes, sighing. She examined their surroundings and observed, "It looks like we're back in the Everfree Forest, but this clearing doesn't look familiar. Who knows how far we were washed downstream." She began to make a list of other obvious observations to help her put her thoughts in order. "The sun's low on the horizon, so we were down there for between four and six hours, although it felt longer." She looked around at the undisturbed underbrush surrounding them. "There's no sign that any other ponies have been through here recently, and we're miles from Ponyville or any other civilization. We're both tired, and probably need medical attention, and I still feel cold."

"Perhaps we should start a fire," Luna offered, turning to begin to search for suitably dry wood.

"I don't think we should stay here too long, especially with that gash on your head," replied Twilight with a concerned expression marring her face. "But a fire does give me an idea. By now somepony's got to have noticed that we're missing, and they're probably out searching for us. If we send up a signal, maybe somepony will see it and come rescue us."

"I'd rather not spend the night out here, lost," Luna agreed. "I suppose it's worth a try. However, you've done enough Twilight. Leave this at least to me."

Luna closed her eyes and sighed deeply before she pushed away her pain and concentrated. Magic coursed through her, and her horn glowed brighter and brighter, an orb of energy slowly forming on her forehead. With a strained cry she straightened her head and released the orb of magic upward in a dark purple beam of light. It soared high into the sky before bursting into a bright explosion of purple, orange, and red. An explosion so bright that it rivaled the sun for a few second, before fading and leaving behind a glittering trail of stardust raining down, creating a path back down to Equestria, where Luna and Twilight stood.

None of which Luna paid any attention to. As soon as she'd released the built up magic, she'd crumpled to her knees in shock and exhaustion from losing so much energy at once. Twilight rushed over beside her and crouched down, resting a comforting hoof on Luna's withers. The shared a strained smile, and both ponies sank to the ground, exhaustion making the carpet of loam and dead leaves as soft as any bed.

They barely noticed when a gale swept over them, causing the trees surrounding them to sway dangerously and for the leaves and debris they rested on to fly around and scatter.

"There you guys are," an anxious voice cried out loudly from overhead. Both Luna and Twilight looked up to find Rainbow Dash hovering close by, her arms crossed in mock anger, but her sympathetic frown betrayed her worry. She examined them more closely, uncrossing her hooves as she commented in surprise, "Whoa, you two look kinda rough. You wait here, and I'll be right back with some help."

As quickly as she'd appeared, Rainbow Dash shot off, leaving behind a multihued streak of light behind her.

With hope pulling up the corners of her mouth, Luna watched the trailing rainbow fade before she turned towards Twilight with a much lighter heart. "It looks like your idea worked."

Twilight's eyes twinkled, but she didn't say anything in reply. Instead she smiled in contentment and closed her eyes, leaning against Luna and resting her tired head against Luna's neck. Luna relished the familiar contact and protectively stretched out a wing to lay over her friend.

They had been resting there together for several minutes, safe in each other's embrace, when without warning, a bright white sphere appeared in front of them, crackling with energy and unleashing a wind strong enough to cause Luna to wince and narrow her eyes. From the blindingly bright orb stepped the regal form of Celestia flanked by several ponies in golden armor.

Against the brilliant white portal, any details of the ponies were lost to Luna, and all she could see were dark silhouettes, and the flash of gold. For a moment, Luna's grip on Twilight tightened, cementing the unicorn to the ground and partially protecting her from Celestia's sight.

What night doesn't have at least a slight fear of the coming dawn?

The portal collapsed in upon itself with a soft clap of thunder. With the light no longer blinding her, Luna could see the concern and worry etched upon Celestia's face, in her tight frown of concentration and moist, apprehensive eyes, and betrayed by her tense muscles, and Luna could feel her anxiety leaving her. Celestia bounded across the clearing, to where Luna and Twilight were huddled together, easily outpacing the attendants she had brought with her.

"Twilight, Luna, are you two alright? We were looking everywhere for you, when we stumbled upon Blue Blazer. The story he told us … Well, it made me quite concerned for your safety."

Celestia's eyes roamed over both Luna and Twilight, seeming to miss none of their various scrapes, cuts, and bruises. As she examined their wounds, her face seemed to grow stiffer, and her jaw set into a hard, sever frown.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight exclaimed with joy and leapt slowly to her hooves. Hearing the warmth and happiness and seeing her stiff movements brought a pained, stiff smile to Celestia's face.

"I believe that our wounds are superficial, for the most part," Luna replied as she slowly stood up. "Although, I wouldn't turn down a medical examination."

Celestia bent down and gently nuzzled Twilight, who leaned up into the embrace. "That's good, because I was going to insist on it. Medics, if you will…"

With military precision, the ponies that had followed Celestia through the portal rushed forward, and Luna noticed for the first time that they wore the red crosses of the medical corps. Most of them were unicorns, and their horns lit up as they began to scan both Twilight and Luna.

"I'm so happy to see you," Twilight murmured into Celestia's mane. "Everything happened so fast, and I was so frightened when Luna was unconscious and bleeding."

Celestia's eyes shot toward Luna with laser-like worry while she reached up with a hoof and lightly petted Twilight's mane soothingly. "It's alright, Twilight, nopony's going to hurt you or Luna anymore. You're both safe now."

Luna longed to be the one that Twilight was nuzzling against, but under her sister's intensely worried glaze, she just tried to smile reassuringly, though it only came off as sheepish and somewhat sickly.

Only slightly impeded by the interaction between the princesses and their protégé, the medics had continued to work, healing the worst of their wounds, and Luna could feel some of her normal energy returning.

After a few minutes of attention from the healing unicorns, their magic breezing across Luna's skin, the worst of their injuries had been stabilized. One of the older unicorns nodded to Celestia over Twilight's head. Celestia's expression was stern and serious as she nearly imperceivably nodded back. She pulled away from Twilight and her mouth shifted into an assured, easy smile. "Well, Twilight, are you feeling up to joining all your friends back in Ponyville?"

"Absolutely," Twilight sighed.

"Good. If you need any help, don't be too shy to ask for it." Celestia smiled over at Luna and shifted to stand closer to her sister. "The same goes for you too, Luna. If you're tired, don't hesitate to lean on me."

Luna was too tired to chastise herself for the jealousy she'd felt earlier, but she bowed her head in relieved humility as she simply replied, "Thank you."

Celestia slowly turned back toward where the portal had disappeared, gently guiding Twilight, with Luna following close behind, the three of them surrounded by a circle of anxious guards. Luna managed a few steps by herself, but when Celestia paused to reopen the portal, Luna found herself leaning against the reassuring bulk of her sister. The warmth and strength Celestia radiated were wonderfully intoxicating after all they had been through. She relaxed against Celestia's side, and the flashy opening of the brilliantly white portal didn't even faze her. As they entered the white abyss, Luna didn't bother trying to walk alone again.

The other side of the portal turned out to be anchored in a large and opulent tent. It was at least as large as Twilight's library, and thanks to several of the walls being rolled up, Luna was able to see the familiar buildings of Ponyville close by.

There were several ponies gathered around the portal's exit, but Luna's eyes skipped over most of them, focusing instead on the welcomed forms of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, who were hovering near one of the tent's open flaps. Fluttershy had a hoof to her mouth and was surveying Twilight and Luna with alarm, but Rainbow Dash didn't seem quite as concerned.

"I told you I'd be the one to find them," She loudly bragged to Fluttershy. "I know the skies around Ponyville like the back of my hoof. There's no way some ponies from Canterlot would be able to find my friends before I could." She pumped her hoof in triumph and did a quick celebratory mid-air flip, breaking out of it to come face to face with Twilight. Her eyes darted across the many scratches covering Twilight's face and neck, and for a moment Rainbow Dash's confident mask slipped. With a crooked attempt at a smile, she said, "I'm glad I found you, Twilight. You're really okay, right?

Twilight looked down at herself, and back up at Rainbow Dash. "I'm doing better now," she said frankly. She offered a tired, soft smile and continued, "Thank you for finding us Dash. I don't know where we'd be without you."

Rainbow Dash floated back a little ways and with a slightly more natural smile, let out an embarrassed, "Heh, you know me, I'll never leave my friends hanging. Especially not my favorite egghead and new flying buddy." She smiled over in Luna's direction, and then noticed all the guards and Princess Celestia paying attention to her. Under so much scrutiny, Rainbow Dash's smile slipped again, and she hastily said to Twilight, "Uh, I'm going to go get everypony else. I bet they're all still out looking for you guys. They'll be thrilled you're both safe." Without waiting for a reply, Rainbow Dash shot out of the tent, causing the cloth structure to shake and sway alarmingly in her wake.

Celestia moved forward, coaxing Twilight and Luna toward a nearby mound of overstuffed pillows spread across a large swath of the tent's floor. She wiggled gently, giving them a slight nudge, and Luna found herself collapsing into the pillows' soft embrace. A moment later, Twilight came tumbling after; sinking into the sea of pillows a short distance from Luna. Celestia leaned down and gave first Luna and then Twilight a quick, reassuring nuzzle. Her warm breath tickled Luna's cheek and ear. For a moment, Luna was lost in the memories of better days.

With a final longing look at her sister and her student, Celestia reluctantly strode across the tent to confer with a trio of guards Luna had overlooked in her initial survey of the tent. Luna looked over to Twilight to see how her friend was handling their rescue, and was surprised to see her eyes half-lidded in exhaustion. Luna was tired as well, but not nearly as much as Twilight seemed to be. Perhaps now that they were finally safe, she was allowing herself to relax and letting the strain of the day catch up to her.

Seeing that Luna and Twilight weren't surrounded by a bevy of guards any longer, Fluttershy flew closer to them and timorously asked, "Twilight, Luna, are you two -"

She was rudely interrupted when a large pink unicorn mare wearing a lab coat, a stethoscope, and a pair of thick glasses muscled her way in-between the pegasus and the two injured ponies. She regarded first Luna with a critical eye, and then Twilight, with a cold, clinical stare. She then levitated a notepad and a quill from the pocket of her lab coat up to eye level.

Fluttershy tried to float around her, and attempted to quietly draw her attention. "Um, excuse me ..." but her voice was nearly lost beneath the loud scratching of the unicorn's quill, and the other pony simply ignored her as she continued to examine Luna and Twilight, circling them and documenting every injury.

Her horn flared to life, and Luna felt a quick, almost violent wave of magic race across her body. Judging by the small jerk Twilight made, she'd been subjected to the same sensation. Fluttershy flew to the other side of the mare and tried again. "Sorry, but these are my friends, and I-" Her voice was a bit louder this time, but still the mare ignored her as she leaned forward to pick up one of Twilight's hooves before letting it fall back into place, documenting the reaction.

Fluttershy frowned in frustration, growling and quite loudly stating, "Excuse me, but these are my friends, and I want to make sure that they're okay." There was a moment of shocked silence, and the mare, as well as several of the attendants scattered throughout the tent had turned to look at Fluttershy questioningly. Sheepishly, Fluttershy landed and quietly added, "Um, I mean, if that's okay."

The mare that had been examining Luna and Twilight hmphed and pushed up her glasses while tucking her quill behind her ear and folding her notes back into her lab coat. "There's no need to shout, young lady. If you wanted to speak with them so badly, you could have simply said so. Honestly, ponies these days… When I was your age, we were better behaved and more respectful of other ponies."

Fluttershy looked abashed, and softly explained, "But I, I tried, and you ..." She sighed deeply. "I'm sorry."

"That's alright, just be more considerate of other pony's feelings next time," the unicorn chastised her. Twilight let out a soft, punch-drunk chuckle, and Luna couldn't help smiling at the irony of the unicorn's lecture. "I'll leave you to your friends; I have some medications I need to enchant." With that she walked across the tent toward where Celestia and the guards were still quietly conversing in a low, tense tone. At her approach, Celestia turned toward the unicorn , her expression frighteningly serious.

Luna's view of their conversation was blocked by the warm yellow coat of Fluttershy as her friend finally was able to meet them properly, though she did continue to hover just overhead, flittering between Luna and Twilight in worry. "Oh, Luna, that cut on your head looks painful. And Twilight, what happened to your neck? Are you two okay? You both look so ..." She trailed off as she searched for the right words to describe their beleaguered state.

"We're fine, Fluttershy," Twilight replied. She raised a hoof too slowly to hide the deep yawn that followed her words. "Just really tired, that's all."

"Oh." Fluttershy didn't look wholly convinced, and she turned toward Luna for confirmation.

"We've had a rather trying day, Fluttershy, but we're doing better now that we're back with our friends. We're just both very tired."

"Which is understandable," Celestia interjected as she returned to where Luna and Twilight were resting, the unicorn that had examined them in tow. "You both have been through quite a lot. However, Dr. Golden Doublet believes that there is another reason why you two are feeling so exhausted."

She nodded toward the unicorn beside her, the one who'd examined Luna and Twilight so thoroughly. She stepped forward and cleared her throat before speaking in a clipped, clinical tone. "Aside from the obvious physical fatigue caused by your ordeal, you both are experiencing what's known as feedback sickness. It's a side effect of artificially blocking a unicorn's magic. The more they struggle against the enchantment of the inhibitor ring, the more magic they release. Since there is no external outlet for all that magic, it is trapped within their bodies, causing damage and stress to their natural magical channels. Of course the body tries to repair those channels, causing massive amounts of fatigue. The more power a unicorn puts out, the more fatigue they suffer from."

"That sounds horrible," Fluttershy said with alarm and with her hooves raised to her mouth fearfully. "The damage isn't permanent, is it?"

"Oh no, not at all," Dr. Golden Doublet replied dismissively. "In fact your friends should be completely recovered after a few days of rest and relaxation. In fact the worst of the effects will be counteracted by a good night's sleep." She turned her attention from calming the distraught pegasus to more closely examining Luna's forehead. "To be honest, I'm more concerned with the various contusions and lacerations you two have suffered. We need to bandage them before they have a chance to become infected." She turned her head and called over her withers, "Now then, nurses, if you will ..."

As if appearing by magic, a host of ponies materialized, all wearing identically starched white hats with red crosses, and identically sterile smiles. They descended upon Luna and Twilight with a wave of swabs, ointments, disinfectants, bandages, and several other medical instruments that Luna didn't have a chance to thoroughly examine before she was overcome. The next few minutes were full of being roughly wiped down, patches of her skin pulled taunt and plastered over with bandages, accompanied by the sting of harsh smelling chemicals. Stinging burns flared to life all over her body, as painful as they were brief. The worst was when they reached her head and began to clean the cut left behind by her encounter with the riverbed. Luna closed her left eye from the stinging pain, and could feel tears welling up in her right.

In an effort to distract herself from the pain, Luna looked around for Celestia, and found her sister close by. She was staring back at Luna with an odd look in her eyes, almost impercieveably chewing on her lower lip. With a start, Luna realized that Celestia was much more worried about her than she'd let on, and an old, almost forgotten glow filled her heart at the realization. Despite everything, Celestia still loved her.

Her sister's eyes dropped down from the wound on Luna's forehead and met her soft gaze. For a moment a variety of expressions warred on Celestia's face as she tried to hide her worry behind her normal placid mask. However she wasn't able to fully assume her regular facade, and settled for a tight, reassuring smile. She eventually broke her intense stare to check on Twilight, giving her much the same worried frown.

With a final soothing slather of scentless unguent, the pain from Luna's head wound faded. With the worst of the dressing over, Luna was curious about how Twilight was taking the none-too-gentle treatment from the nurses. She turned her head to find that her friend had fallen asleep.

Luna couldn't hold back her smile or her light chuckle. Twilight must have felt truly exhausted if she was able to drift off while under such torturous ministrations. But even with scorch marks still staining her coat, and covered in several white bandages, including one wrapped tightly around her graceful throat, Twilight still managed to appear beautiful and unguarded as she slept. Luna looked back up at Celestia to see if she was sharing in her amusement, but found her sister sill looking on Twilight with a troubled eye. She caught her sister's gaze once again, and this time Celestia couldn't even manage an attempt at a smile. Instead she turned away with a small frown and moved closer to converse with Dr. Golden Doublet.

Not wanting to trouble her sister any more than she had to, Luna looked over toward Fluttershy, who was hanging back, out of the way of the flurry of nurses. She kept shifting and jumping to keep out of their way as they danced around each other. Fluttershy looked as if she desperately wanted to help, but had no idea how. However, with a final snip from a small pair of surgeon's scissors, and a tuck of a bandage, the host of nurses disappeared as quickly as they'd come, leaving behind the stringent smell of disinfectant.

Dr. Golden Doublet broke off her conversation with Celestia and took a moment to check over Luna and Twilight. "There now, we won't have to worry about infections. And since the medications and bandages have been imbued with my signature healing spells, your lacerations should be healed by tomorrow. Just remember to take it easy and rest for the next few days. I'll return tomorrow to check on you, but I can assure you that you will be feeling healthy and fit by then." She nodded in satisfaction at her assistants'' work, and then perfunctory said, "Princesses, if you'll excuse me, I have other duties to attend to." Without waiting for a reply, she made a small bow and quickly exited the tent through a nearby flap.

Celestia gingerly stepped to Luna's side. She glanced over at the still sleeping Twilight and pitched her voice low. "Are you feeling any better Luna?"

Luna leaned away from Twilight's warm side and matched Celestia's tone. "Actually, yes. For the most part." The fiery sting of her wounds had been soothed and numbed by the balm the medical staff had administered. "I can't feel my cuts and bruises anymore." She ruffled her wings slightly and winced as she admitted, "The muscles in my back are still rather sore though."

"Maybe I could help with that," Fluttershy offered. She had edged closer, and obviously wanted to be closer still to her hurt friends, but she continued to stay back out of reverence for Celestia. Both sisters regarded her questioningly and on Celestia's side, in surprise. She'd obviously forgotten the quiet pony's presence amidst the earlier bustling activity.

It was almost painfully apparent to Luna that Fluttershy was quite anxious to help in whatever way she could, and couldn't help but take her friend up on her generous offer. "If you don't mind, I would be forever indebted to you, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy's concerned expression broke out into a joyful smile, and she began to hover, clapping her front hooves together excitedly.

A pair of golden armored guards approached and stopped at the perfectly proper distance, and one of them gently cleared his throat to attract Celestia's attention. She turned away from Luna and Fluttershy with a small frown, and sighed nearly silently. With a final soft glance for Luna, as well as a lingering frown for Twilight, Celestia assumed a cheery smile and commented, "I'm afraid that duty calls, but I'm sure that I'm leaving you in capable hooves, Luna." She walked away, flanked by her guards, her thrashing tail betraying her agitation.

Luna was watching her go, and was surprised when Fluttershy softly whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry if my hooves are a little cold."

Despite her warning, Luna shivered slightly as Fluttershy gingerly pressed down with a hoof on the spot between Luna's wings. Luna relaxed into the touch, and pressed her face down into the pillow she was resting on as Fluttershy began to run her hooves up and down Luna's back in small, soothing circles. Her touch was light but insistent, and Luna groaned in appreciation as she felt the muscles in her back twinge painfully at first, but then relax into warm pools of comfort.

Fluttershy softly hummed as she worked, continuing to kneed Luna's back, causing appreciative groans and the occasional unregal grunt as her muscles began to untense. Thanks to Fluttershy's soothing voice and ministrations, drowsiness was quickly overtaking Luna, and with heavily lidded eyes, she scanned the tent. They settled on Celestia who was in deep conversation with the two guards who had pulled her away. For a moment, a cold, wrathful frown flashed across Celestia's face. The look implied a hatred she hadn't seen from Celestia since her return, and it chilled Luna to the marrow. But Celestia was able to school her features so quickly, that Luna was left unsure as to whether she'd actually seen such a malevolent expression on her sister's face. Celestia glanced back at Luna and Twilight, before making her exit alongside her guards through a tent flap.

"Oh my, you're really tense here, Luna," Fluttershy said in concern. Her hooves were at the base of Luna's neck, and as she pressed down harder, trying to work the tension out of her knotted muscles, she pressed Luna's face down into the soft pillow. As Fluttershy continued her ministrations, Luna could feel her stress and her cares slip away, and she put Celestia's strange expression out of her mind.

"Pardon us," an elegantly indignant voice broke through Luna's daze. She blinked to clear the sleepiness from her eyes and looked up to find Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie standing impatiently in front of a pair of sentries guarding the entrance to the tent. Most of them looked rather put out and annoyed at the obstacle in their way, but Pinkie Pie was bouncing from hoof to hoof anxiously. Rarity flipped her hair and stated, "Our friends are in there sir, and if you think that your stern and silent routine is intimidating in the least, then -"

Luna pushed herself up into a somewhat less slovenly position, and at the first sign of movement Fluttershy hurriedly backed away. "Is anything wrong, Luna?"

"Not at all, Fluttershy," Luna replied gratefully. "You are quite the masseuse. But it looks like our friends have arrived." She raised her voice and called out loudly to the sentries on duty, "Guard, please allow them to enter, those ponies are my friends."

Without a word of acknowledgement, or any indication that they'd heard her, the two guard ponies uncrossed their wings and stepped aside to allow the visitors to pass. The way clear, her friends passed by the guards, with only Rainbow Dash pausing long enough to toss a smug, "I told you so," at the two stoic ponies.

"Twilight, Luna, you're back," Pinkie loudly declared as she bounced past the others to be the first to reach the pile of cushions the two wearied ponies were resting on. "We should totally throw you a welcome back party, even though I didn't know that you'd left until the sky went all dark and everything, and a lot of ponies from Canterlot came looking for you." Pinkie's normal exuberance slipped for a moment as she added, "You should really tell somepony where you're going before you leave someplace next time."

Luna felt remorseful at the worry she'd cause Pinkie Pie, and an inadequate excuse was on her lips, but before she could reply, the rest of their friends had surrounded them.

Rarity raised a theatric hoof to her forehead and exclaimed, "Thank heavens you two are alright, but my dears, look at the state you're in. Why, your manes alone have as much dirt as all Sweet Apple Acres."

"Hey now."

"Oh, I meant no offense, Applejack, but just look at them," Rarity said, waving a hoof to indicate Luna and Twilight. "They're positively filthy. Such a state is simply intolerable, I'm sure, after the ordeal they've been through. And you must admit that a farm isn't the most ... sterile of places."

Applejack tilted back her hat with a hoof and rolled her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with a little dirt." She glanced over Luna and Twilight. "But Ah take your point."

Rarity gave out a triumphant "mmhmm," as she stepped closer to Luna and Twilight, summoning several purple brushes of varying fineness and a dark green bottle from seemingly nowhere. "You there," she called out to one of the nearby guards. "I'll require a basin of water." The guard looked at her incredulously, and then toward Luna, silently asking if she was serious. With an uncertain expression, Luna nodded toward the guard, and he disappeared to follow Rarity's wishes. Not seeing him move quickly enough for her tastes, Rarity called out after him, "chop chop." Satisfied with her chastisement, Rarity turned back toward Luna with a wide smile and uncorked the bottle she was holding aloft with her magic, and the smell of strawberries wafted over to Luna.

Despite the pleasant smell, the purposeful look in Rarity's eyes as she came closer caused Luna to cringe backwards and a bit fearfully start to say, "I don't –"

However Rarity took no notice of Luna's reticence and began to efficiently run the brushes through her mane and over her coat, gently cleaning away the dirt and grime, careful to avoid her bandages. In all honesty it felt rather pleasant, and Luna slowly began to relax again. The guard soon reappeared and carefully set down a white porcelain bowl full of water. Lukewarm water Luna soon found, as Rarity dipped her cloths into it and began to scrub at her mud encrusted hooves.

Luna was a bit uncertain of the propriety of having somepony else wash her, but her friends seemed unfazed by Rarity's actions. Although Applejack seemed to notice Luna's conflicted expression and reassured her, "Don't worry none, this is just Rarity's way of showing how concerned she was for y'all, that's all."

"We all were," Rainbow Dash broke in. "Worried that is. We were looking everywhere for you guys."

"Yeah, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked up high, while Rarity, Applejack and me looked low!" Pinkie Pie added.

Pinkie's loud exclamation caused Twilight to groan and stir slightly, and they all paused, waiting to see if their noise had caused her to wake. However, she merely mumbled something in her sleep and wiggled closer to Luna, nuzzling her nose into Luna's side.

Luna hoped that the blush burning her cheeks at Twilight's unwitting display of familiarity wasn't as visible as she feared it was. Rarity had moved on from Luna to Twilight, and at her movement she'd paused. Seeing Twilight boldly snuggle with Luna before returning to her sleep caused Rarity to raise a surprised eyebrow. Luna hoped she and the rest of her friends weren't getting any strange notions. After all, she and Twilight could be nothing more than just friends. Rarity looked back and forth between Luna and Twilight for a moment before she put away her cleaning implements with a knowing, secretive smile. Luna had to admit that she and Twilight were immaculate thanks to her quick and efficient work, but it was difficult to be appreciative under the suddenly close scrutiny of her friends. Pinkie Pie was beaming widely, as if she'd seen something wonderful, while Applejack smiled smugly as if she'd just won a bet. Luna felt the urge to explain herself for some reason, but wasn't sure how, without making a mountain out of a molehill. Thankfully Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash seemed oblivious to any strangeness. Fluttershy was looking at the others in confusion, while Rainbow Dash was resting on her back in mid-air, lazily circling them. At least there were two ponies who weren't misconstruing Luna's and Twilight's relationship.

Not that Luna believed that any of them would feel negatively about her and Twilight being together romantically. It was just that Luna had already come to terms with being Twilight's friend, and nothing more. To see other ponies even think about there being something deeper embarrassed, and to some extent, saddened Luna.

She cleared her throat, hoping to divert her friends' attention to something a bit less personal. "Thank you Rarity, I feel quite refreshed, and I'm sure Twilight does too."

"More than refreshed, Ah'm sure," Applejack quipped.

Rarity ignored her and pressed an earnest hoof to her chest. "Oh, you're quite welcome, Princess Luna. You know me; I simply can't stand to see ponies as elegant as yourselves so filthy." Rarity chuckled lightly at her own possible neurosis.

"Yes, well, thank you. And thank all of you for going out and searching for us. But may I ask, how did you know that Twilight and I were in trouble in the first place, and why is Celestia in Ponyville, as well as all this?" Luna asked lifting a hoof and waving it around to encompass the expansive tent they were in.

Applejack still seemed smug as she answered Luna's question. "Well, Ah was out cleaning up one of the orchards from the storm we had the other day, when everything went dark."

"Yeah, super dark," chimed in Pinkie. "I thought somepony was playing a game at first."

"It was so sudden," Fluttershy agreed. "The poor animals didn't know whether it was time to wake up or go to bed."

Rainbow Dash piped up, "Yeah, and we aren't scheduled for another solar eclipse for like two whole years, and that one's only going to be a partial."

"Anyhow," Applejack said rather loudly, glancing levelly at all the ponies who'd interrupted her, "As Ah was saying, Ah was a might concerned about it getting dark so quick, since it didn't seem all that natural to me. So I hightailed it back to town to see Twilight, since she always seems to know what's going on when unnatural things are happening."

"She is a smarty pants," Pinkie Pie interrupted again. "That's why I went to go see her too."

"And I went to see her because I just didn't know what to do to calm down all the animals," Fluttershy added. "Spike wasn't worried at all about it getting so dark though, and he volunteered to keep an eye on the animals for me while I was gone."

"Personally I left my shop in a rather deplorable state of disarray and rushed over to Twilight's. After all, it could have been a sign of that ruffian Discord's return, or something similarly bad for my business."

"Eh, I was just hanging around and happened to be in the area," Rainbow Dash said nonchalantly.

Applejack looked around at all the other ponies, as if daring them to interrupt her again. When none of them spoke up again, she blew upwards, ruffling her bangs before she picked up her story again. "Well, by the time Ah'd gotten to Twilight's, the darkness was gone. But I saw everypony else gathered around her front door looking a might concerned."

"Yeah, Twilight and you were gone, and you didn't even leave a note or anything," Rainbow Dash complained with a hint of concern in her voice.

Luna shuffled her hooves in front of her, embarrassed by the well-deserved chastisement. She tried to explain herself, "Truthfully, we didn't plan to be gone for all that long." She meant her words to be matter of fact, but even to her own ears, she sounded defensive, and a bit plaintive.

"Well, we weren't sure where y'all'd gone, but we were worried that your disappearance and that dark spell had something to do with one another. We were just about to split up and go looking for y'all when this really bright light started burning in front of Twilight's and out stepped Princess Celestia with all sorts of ponies. She said that you were in some sort of trouble, and knowing you and Twilight if you were in trouble, then so was she."

"Unfortunately she couldn't locate you directly, so she came to Ponyville to enlist our aide in searching for you," Rarity explained.

Rainbow Dash succinctly summed up, "So then Rarity split us up, and we looked everywhere, and I found you guys. But what the hay happened to you anyway?" She asked, waving her hooves emphatically.

"Yeah, why'd everything go dark all of a sudden, and why do you two look like you went running head first through the rock patch?" Pinkie asked.

Luna stalled for a few seconds, shifting into a slightly more comfortable position and glancing down at the still sleeping Twilight before she looked up into the eager and curious faces of her friends.

"Well, this morning, Twilight and I decided to spend the final day of my visit going to meet her friend Zecora …" Luna's soft voice filled the tent as she went on to tell them the story of how she and Twilight had ended up in such a sad state. Most of it at least. She left out the mixed feelings she'd discovered in Zecora's hut, as well as the exact details of her flight with Twilight. She also kept silent about her transformation into Nightmare Moon, as well as the haunting dream that she only vaguely remembered, but which still sent shards of unease through her.

"… and then we sent up the flare, and Rainbow Dash found us," Luna finished, her throat feeling a bit dry, unused to speaking for so long.

All the ponies looked stunned at just how much Luna and Twilight had endured, but Rarity was the first to compose herself. "Oh my, you two have been through quite the ordeal indeed."

"You guys must have been so scared and worried with all that crazy stuff happening," Pinkie Pie said loudly. She jostled Luna as she leapt over and wrapped her in a warm, friendly hug. "I'm so glad you two are still okay!"

Rainbow Dash had a stormy look in her eyes and was angrily pounding one hoof into the other. "So where is this Blue Blaize guy? I'd like to give him a piece of my mind. Nopony hurts my friends!"

Applejack rested a restraining hoof on Rainbow Dash's withers, though she looked just as troubled as her winged friend. "Who there girl, Ah'd like nothing better than to introduce that sodbuster to Bucky and Kicks, but we can't take justice into our own hooves. Let Luna and Princess Celestia take care of him."

Fluttershy seemed on the verge of tears, and softly exclaimed, "I'm so happy that you and Twilight are alright, Luna. I can't even imagine how awful it must have been for you." Twilight shifted where she lay, slowly lifting her head, and Fluttershy gave out a little "eep," fearfully looking down at the lavender unicorn. "Oh, Fluttershy, you're such a loudmouth." She said to herself. A bit more loudly she apologized, "I'm sorry for waking you up Twilight. Please don't be angry."

"Actually, I've been awake for a while now, Fluttershy. I was just resting my eyes," Twilight said matter-of-factly, tucking her legs underneath her and raising her head to look her friends in the eye. Her tone was belied by a large yawn she only belatedly and ineffectually tried to hide. Luna smiled lovingly in appreciation of just how cute Twilight was when she was just waking, though she did miss the warmth of Twilight's touch as she shifted away from her.

"So how did ol' what's-his-name get the drop on a pony like you anyhow, Twilight?" Applejack asked. "Ah mean Ah just can't see somepony coming up and bonking you on the head without being thrown halfway across Equestria."

Twilight's eyes were quickly losing their cloud of sleep, and they cut away in remembrance while a faint blush tinged her cheeks as she admitted, "Well, I was rather deep in thought, studying … things."

"What kind of things?" Pinkie Pie asked, finally letting go of Luna's neck.

"You know, things," Twilight replied loudly, obviously attempting to discourage further questions. She hurried on. "Anyway, I was just really distracted when Blue Blazer attacked I guess. I mean, who expects to be snuck up on and attacked in the middle of the day?"

"Oh, I do," shyly volunteered Fluttershy, raising a hoof, oblivious to the rhetorical nature of Twilight's question. "In fact I expect to get attacked all the time." All the ponies looked askance at Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash cleared her throat, breaking the awkward silence. Looking around at her friends, and reading their reactions, Fluttershy wilted a bit. "Doesn't everypony?"

"Yes, of course we do, darling," Finally agreed Rarity. She moved closer to Fluttershy and raised a dramatic hoof to her brow. "It's simply the price beautiful and talented ponies such as ourselves must pay."

Seeing Rarity trying to cover Fluttershy's strange admission, Rainbow Dash added, "Yeah, and you kind of have to expect to get randomly jumped in Ponyville thanks to Pinkie Pie here."

"Surprise invitations are almost as good as surprise parties!" Pinkie gleefully exclaimed, bounding over Luna and Twilight to be closer to Fluttershy and Rarity.

"And don't forget you've always got to keep an eye open for some show-offy pegasus who seems to crash into other ponies while practicing her tricks," Applejack added with a sardonic grin in Rainbow Dash's direction.

"Hey!"

"Alright, I get it," Twilight said hotly, drawing everypony's attention. "I should have been paying more attention to what was around me. But, I didn't, and Blue Blazer was able to knock me out and take me hostage. I messed up, okay?!" Twilight's voice became quiet and she slumped down into the cushions, refusing to meet anypony's eyes as she said, "It … it was all my fault."

Seeing Twilight so upset, Luna leaned over and nuzzled her behind the ear, as she softly encouraged, "Don't be so hard on yourself, Twilight. If it weren't for you, we would still be at the bottom of that ravine, freezing to death."

Twilight snorted in dark amusement. "If it weren't for me, we'd never have been at the bottom of that ravine in the first place."

Luna sighed as she drew back from Twilight. "Don't think of it like that, Twilight. Blue Blazer was desperate and determined. Even if he hadn't attacked me today, he would have attacked eventually. Though this has been a particularly horrible day, I assure you that there's nopony else I would rather have gone through it with."

Twilight lifted up her head, looking up at Luna with seemingly hopeful and mollified eyes.

For a moment Luna had forgotten about everypony aside from Twilight, so she was quite startled when Pinkie Pie suddenly hugged Twilight closely, pressing her cheek-to-cheek. "So, tell us about the rest of it, Twilight. I mean Luna already told us a lot, but not every teeny-weenie part, like you can."

Twilight seemed unperturbed by Pinkie's invasion of her personal space, and frowned in thought. "Well, there really isn't much more to tell. When I woke up after Blue Blazer attacked us, I felt worse than I ever have before. It was like when your hoof falls asleep, but it was my horn instead. It felt like my whole body was being tortured, but I was too numb to really feel it. It was so strange and scary that I didn't even realize until later that I was cut and bleeding. I tried to use my magic, and I kind of panicked for a few minutes when I couldn't do anything. But I calmed down and decided that I needed to find Luna and see if she knew what had happened to me. I heard some shouting in the distance, and I followed it out of the castle and back to the Everfree Forest where I saw …" She trailed off and glanced with concern at Luna. "I saw the end of the fight. I called out to Luna, and then the bridge gave way, and I started to fall."

She shifted and pouted, "I've never felt so helpless. I was falling, and there wasn't anything I could do about it other than scream. Somehow though, Luna was able to find me in all that fog, and she was able to catch me before I could become a pony pancake." Twilight lifted her head and gazed lovingly at Luna. "Without her, I wouldn't be here. Unfortunately though, we'd fallen too deep into the chasm and we both hit the river at the bottom pretty hard, though Luna took most of the impact." Twilight cut her eyes away in shame.

She shivered at the memory. "The water down there is really cold, and the current is strong. For a while I didn't know which way was up, and I thought I was about to drown. But luckily I was able to get my head above water, and look for the shore. The river was moving very fast, and it was really dark, and that's when I realized that I couldn't see Luna anywhere."

Pinkie Pie had let go of Twilight and had slowly drawn back to join the others, all of whom were completely entranced by Twilight's story, hanging on her every word. "I thrashed around, looking for her on the surface, but I couldn't find her, so I started diving back under the water and searching for her. I was losing hope, when I was finally able to find a hoof. I managed to drag both of us onto an outcrop of rocks and other debris." She swallowed deeply and appeared on the verge of tears, obviously reluctant to speak further, but she continued on. "When I'd caught my breath and went to see how Luna was doing, I felt so powerless. She wasn't breathing and she had this, this … gash on her head, and there was blood everywhere. I administered CPR, and cleared her airways, but there wasn't anything I could do about her bleeding. All I could do was to lay down close to her, to share my body heat with her, and wait for her to wakeup. The rest you guys already know."

"I must say, that sounds absolutely dreadful, darling."

"Indeed, it sounds as if you've had a very trying day, my student," Celestia's melodious voice heralded her return. "I believe Dr. Golden Doublet recommended lots of rest and relaxation. Since the day is over, perhaps it's time for you to get a good night's sleep."

Twilight yawned again, and rubbed at her eyes with a hoof. "I am still feeling really tired."

"It's getting rather late," Celestia observed. "I would prefer it if you spent the night here, just in case there was something the good doctor overlooked."

Twilight's ears perked up and her eyes sparkled as she replied, "I'd love to, Princess Celestia." She unsteadily tottered to her hooves and everypony took a step forward to catch her if she began to fall. "To be honest, I'm not sure if I could even make it back to the library tonight."

Luna noticed a flurry of activity out of the corner of her eye and turned her head to find out what was causing it, when she saw through one of the tent flaps that while she and her friends had been talking, Celestia had lowered the sun, casting darkness across the land. Several attendants and guards were closing the tent flaps, cutting off the cooling night air, as well as circling the tent, lighting several soft lights spread across the large space separated by a few gossamer walls.

With a low grunt, nearly a moan, Luna began to lift herself up from the cushions. "I suppose I should go and see to my duty," she tried to say casually.

Celestia rushed to her side and quite nearly yelled out, "No!" She quickly composed her distraught features and put a comforting, yet insistent hoof on Luna's withers, pressing her back down into the cushions. "Please rest, Luna. Don't push yourself anymore today. I've already raised the moon, dear sister, so there's no need to exert yourself."

Luna allowed herself to sink back down with a swelling feeling of guilt. She extended her senses, and could feel her moon already climbing high into the sky. For the second time in as many nights she'd forced Celestia to assume the duties she'd entrusted Luna with. Still, she couldn't deny how pleasant it felt to rest her very weary body.

"Well, Ah suppose we should let you two get to sleep," Applejack drawled.

"We can have your super big party tomorrow, when you guys are feeling better," Pinkie chimed in, trying to remain cheerful, though seemingly deflated.

In fact, looking from one pony's face to the next, Luna noticed that all her friends shared similarly despondent faces, their drooping ears matched by their drooping mouths. Each of them seemed reluctant to leave their friends so soon after being reunited with them.

An idea came to Luna, and without thinking upon it too heavily, she asked, "Celestia, do you think it would be possible for our friends to spend the night here with us? It seems rather callous to send them away so soon, especially when it's obvious how much they were worried about Twilight and I. It looks to me as if we had room enough to accommodate all of us, as well as half of Ponyville in this tent."

The other ponies' faces perked up at the suggestion, with tentative smiles and pleading eyes in Celestia's direction.

Celestia's glanced over to Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash thoughtfully, and then back at Luna with a hint of sadness. "I know your friends are quite dear to you, but I was hoping that we could speak in private tonight. It seems like we haven't had time to talk to one another in quite a while, and I'd like to make sure that you're doing alright, Luna."

Her sister's disappointed eyes made Luna's heart ache, but not wanting to disappoint her friends as well, she tried for a compromise. To be honest, she had missed spending time with Celestia as well. Even if they were at odds on occasion, and at time Luna felt resentment toward her, Celestia was her older sister and she loved her. "Since I'm not as tired as Twilight appears to be, would it be alright if she and the others spend the night here, together? We could retire elsewhere and speak in private."

Celestia considered the idea for several seconds, her eyes slowly moving from Luna to Twilight and back again. "I don't see any problem with that," she decided. Over her withers she called out to an attendant, "Please prepare an area for my student and her friends to sleep."

Luna's friends ill concealed their giddiness as they pranced and bowed to Celestia before herding Twilight away in the direction the servant had gone.

"Yay! It'll be like a big slumber party," Pinkie happily declared.

"Well, I suppose I didn't have anything else planned for this evening."

"I don't know," Fluttershy said timidly. "I should probably check on my animals and make sure that they're doing okay."

"Aw come on, Fluttershy, they're fine," Rainbow Dash said.

"Sides, isn't Spike keeping an eye on them?" Applejack asked. "I'm sure that he's got everything well in hoof, uh, claw."

"Well, I suppose …"

The rest of what the soft spoken pegasi was going to say was lost to Luna as the herd of ponies made their way across the tent. In a distant corner cordoned off by thin, semi-opaque walls a host of attendants were in the midst of setting out bedding for half a dozen ponies.

A ghost of the smile she'd had while watching her friends leave was still on Luna's face as she turned to regard her sister who was also watching the retreating forms of her friends, circling and supporting Twilight, with a sad, almost wistful smile.

"You wished to speak with me in private," Luna prompted.

Celestia bent down to look at her sister with an odd glint in her eyes. "I did. Although … First, I need to know, truthfully, are you alright?"

Luna quirked an eyebrow, emphasizing the bandage on her forehead. "I feel as well as I could, considering the circumstances. Dr. Golden Doublet knows her craft well."

Celestia sighed and lightly settled her larger frame next to Luna's, radiating warmth and familiar security. "No, what I meant was, earlier today, when night fell during the middle of the afternoon …" Celestia sighed deeply, unwilling to broach a subject they needed to talk about. "I've spoken to Blue Blazer already, and I've heard his side of the story … his ranting really. I believe I can deduce how things actually transpired." She sighed again, as if it was hard for her to speak, and turned to look Luna full in the face. "I know that he hurt you, and those close to you, close to us, and for a moment today I felt a magic that I had hoped to never feel again flare to life. So please, Luna, are you okay?"

Hearing the raw concern in Celestia's voice, Luna could feel a bubble of emotion swelling at the base of her throat. She didn't feel equal to meeting Celestia's unguarded, searching eyes, electing to study the stitching of the cushions they were resting upon. She tried to sound aloof and disinterested as she deflected the pointed question by asking, "And what will happen to Blue Blazer now?"

Celestia shifted uncomfortably. Her tone became more regal as she answered, "Former Captain Blazer has attempted one of the most serious crimes in Equestria, regicide. In addition he's both threatened the life of, and harmed, an innocent pony. Obviously he is a very confused pony and needs all the help that we can give him. Therefore, I've sentenced him to be involuntarily committed to the best psychiatric hospital in Equestria, until such a time he can prove that he's no longer a danger to himself or anypony else, and is fit to rejoin society."

"I see," Luna replied softly, almost to herself. She looked up, across the tent to where her friends were laying, softly murmuring to one another. The white bandage around Twilight's throat starkly contrasted with her lavender coat even in the dim light.

In the heat of the moment, when Luna had lost control of herself, her intent had been to tear Blue Blazer apart one tiny piece at a time. Even while resting in the tent, basking in the comforting presence of her sister, after everypony had made it back safe and sound, Luna wanted to see the former captain suffer in some way. She wanted him to beg her forgiveness for his actions. She didn't want to see him rehabilitated; she wanted to see him punished.

Unbidden tears began to well in her eyes and Luna bowed her head in defeat. Even without Nightmare Moon, it was obvious that she was a horrible pony.

The painful swelling in her throat had abated, and Luna took a deep, ragged breath, still refusing to look up at Celestia. "I don't think I am alright," she said quietly, almost too quietly to hear. "I scare myself sometimes, Celestia. I didn't just suddenly become Nightmare Moon one night, and she didn't just disappear with a blast of magic. She's still with me, and no –"

"Luna…" Celestia broke in, her voice full of worry.

Luna finally turned her head up to face her sister, desperation evident in her eyes, the movement causing her pooling tears to dislodge and cut a track down her cheek. "No, Celestia, she's a part of me. She always has been, and maybe she always will be. I'm not like you; I'm not kind and loving all the time." A ragged sob escaped her, and desperately she rushed on, "I want to be though. I want to be so badly. But I have such dark thoughts sometimes. I don't think that I'll ever be good enough, kind enough, forgiving enough to make a good pony, much less a good princess." Unable to bear her sister's kind eyes examining her any longer, Luna hung her head in defeat.

A large, comfortingly solid, and feathery soft wing settled over Luna, and Celestia's soft lips gently met and nuzzled Luna's cheek, erasing her tears as she looked up in surprise.

Celestia's voice was as soft as her caress. "Luna, my dear Luna… Don't say such things. You know they aren't true, and you shouldn't be trying to convince yourself otherwise."

"But it is!" Luna's plaintive cry sounded a bit whiny even to her own ears.

Celestia smiled softly as she raised a hoof and gently, but admonishingly bumped Luna's nose with it. "No you're not. You're just a pony like everypony else. We all have less than pleasant thoughts and feelings at times." Her eyes grew slightly unfocused and seemed distant for a moment. "Even I can be susceptible to anger, jealousy," she refocused her gaze on Luna's bandage, "even fear."

It was difficult for Luna to picture her sister as anything other than calm and collected. The few times she'd seen her any other way were under rather extreme circumstances. "But, Celestia, you never seem to ever let any of those emotions get to you. You're always so, so … perfect." Immediately Luna regretted her choice of words, not really wanting Celestia to know just how much she admired her.

But instead of Celestia's ego swelling, Luna was confused when her sister's smile fell into a sorrowful frown. "I'm not perfect, Luna, nopony is." She threw a foreleg over Luna and hugged her sister tighter to her side. "But as a wise pony once said, 'being perfect isn't as important as striving for perfection.'"

"That's not fair," Luna said hotly. The line Celestia had quoted was from a speech Luna had delivered a millennia ago during a formal celebration of the lollipop guild. "That's completely out of context."

"Perhaps," Celestia replied, her tone soft. "But still, it is a valuable lesson. Nopony is a paragon of virtues, not even me. Everypony makes mistakes, and they give in to their anger, or jealousy, or hate. But by moving forward, and doing your best to overcome your personal demons and make everyday better than the last is what makes a good pony. It's often difficult, but nopony who tries to improve themselves can be called a bad pony."

Luna sighed deeply. "But sometimes … sometimes, I think Blue Blazer might be right. Sometimes it feels like I am Nightmare Moon, simply disguising myself as Luna. I mean, I feel like myself, but then I also feel as if it would be so easy for me to simply let go and become her again. Like today. For a few minutes, I lost myself, and I was Nightmare Moon."

Celestia gave Luna a gentle squeeze. "But you aren't her now, and Blue Blazer is still alive. You were able to defeat her yourself," she murmured into Luna's ear. "If you were as bad a pony as you think you are, you wouldn't have been able to do that. Just by trying to be a better pony, you're becoming stronger, Luna."

Luna ducked her head away from Celestia's tickling breath. "It wasn't really me," she protested. "It was Twilight that defeated her again. She appeared just as Nightmare Moon won, and I couldn't stand the thought of her seeing Nightmare Moon again, of her looking at me with fear and disappointment in her eyes."

"Nopony is strong enough to overcome everything by ourselves. We all have to rely on our friends and loved ones from time to time. But it seems to me that an answer to your problems is right in front of you." Celestia smiled down at her reassuringly as Luna raised an eyebrow in doubt. "It's simple really. Think of Twilight. Think of her and ask yourself, 'how would she feel about me doing this?' To be honest, from time to time I've asked myself the same thing. When I get particularly upset or frustrated and want to lash out, I think of Twilight when she was a filly, watching my every move with those large, innocent eyes, learning from everything I say and do. It almost always works to calm me down."

Luna simply gave her sister an incredulous stare, as if to ask, 'really?'

Celestia blushed and looked flustered as she replied to Luna's silent question, "What? I'm allowed to have bad days too."

Luna cut her eyes to the side and tilted her head. "I suppose you are. Although I still don't believe you can." Her eyes touched on the group of ponies on the other side of the tent. Not entirely sure why, she blurted out, "Though I hope you do realize that Twilight's grown up since then."

Celestia's smile faltered and she hesitated before answering, "Yes. Yes I have."

Before Luna could ask Celestia about her odd tone, there was a burst of giggling and squeals from the other side of the tent.

"Oh wow, really?!" Pinkie enthusiastically asked.

"No way!" Rainbow Dash's raised voice added.

The two sisters turned to each other questioningly, and then looked over to the group of friends to find Rarity and Applejack shushing the more exuberant ponies. Fluttershy seemed to be lost amidst her hair and bright blush, while Twilight looked pained and as if she would rather be anyplace else at that moment. Without preamble, and almost as if on cue, all the ponies, save Twilight, turned to look back at Luna and Celestia with knowing smiles and giddily suppressed titters. Under such intense scrutiny Luna began to feel anxious, but as quickly as they'd glanced over at the princesses, the four of them turned back around, huddling close to one another as they broke out into energetic whispers.

"Well, they seem to be having fun," Celestia observed.

"Perhaps too much," Luna remarked, still unsettled by her friends' close scrutiny. Though, despite her agitation, Luna struggled to stifle a yawn.

Slowly the warmth of Celestia's wing and leg were withdrawn. "I'm sorry; I'd forgotten how tired you were, Luna." Celestia said. She made her adieus as she stood. "I'll leave you to your sleep. Pleasant dreams, sister."

Luna swallowed the remainder of her yawn and quickly called out, "Celestia, wait!" Celestia paused and looked down at Luna, who was calming herself after the unprincessly outburst. "That is, well, do you think, perhaps, I could stay with you tonight?"

A fair and loving smile spread across Celestia's face, its beauty revealing just how fake the smiles she normally wore were. "Of course, Luna," she acquiesced as she settled back down. Silently the lights nearest to them began to dim and go out.

With a sigh, Luna burrowed into Celestia's bulk, reveling in the love and security she found there. Celestia had always been there for Luna, though perhaps she hadn't always seen it that way, and the little filly in Luna hoped her big sister always would be.

"Don't look, don't look, she's totally looking back at us," Pinkie whispered loudly. They all quickly turned around from checking Princess Luna out, and Pinkie couldn't hold in her bubbly excitement. "This is so exciting! I mean you never seemed like the romantic type, Twilight, who knew you'd fall in love with her? I mean she's a princess, and you'll be a princess, and you'll have prince and princess science babies and they'll be super smart and –"

"That's enough, Pinkie," Twilight growled into the pillow she'd buried her embarrassed face into. She was tired, ridiculously so. That was the only explanation for why she'd blurted out that she thought she might have a tiny crush on Luna, and of course all her friends had blown it completely out of proportion, especially Pinkie.

It wasn't even as if Twilight had exactly announced it to the world. It had just sort of slipped out when Fluttershy had asked what had taken them to the Everfree Forest in the first place, and part of her answer had been to spend more time alone with Luna.

Something in the way she'd said it had caused Applejack and Rarity to exchange knowing glances, and their questions had become more pointed. Somehow things had snowballed and left Twilight dying of embarrassment, face full of pillow so she wouldn't have to meet her friends' smug smiles.

There was a gentle nudge at her knee, and Fluttershy's soft voice said coaxingly, "It's alright Twilight, it's not that bad."

"Yes it is." Twilight's resolve was clear to hear, even muffled through the layers of fabric and feathers.

"Oh, come now, darling, it's hardly the end of the world. You're not the first pony to fall in love after all."

"I'm not in love," Twilight hotly declared, causing Fluttershy to start by snapping her head up defiantly to look Rarity in the eyes. "I just have a small, tiny crush, maybe. That's all." Twilight shook an emphatic hoof in the direction of the princesses. "I mean she's a princess for crying out loud."

Twilight had hoped that Rainbow Dash at least would be reasonable, but even she spoke up against her. "So what if she's a princess? Princess' are just like any other pony. I mean, she can be a bit of a dork sometimes, I mean who says 'excelsior' anymore. I bet she can fall in love just like anypony else, so why would it be weird to fall in love with her?"

"'You think Princess Luna is a dork, really?" Applejack asked evenly.

Rainbow Dash crossed her hooves defensively. "No! I mean, she just has her moments were she's not 100% cool is all. Like Twilight. But she's really awesome, and a great flier! In fact she's a lot better than most of the pegasi around here." Rainbow Dash suddenly looked sheepish and looked over at Fluttershy. "Uh, no offense, Fluttershy."

"Oh, none taken."

Pinkie blurted out, "So, when did you figure out you're in love with Luna anyway, Twilight?"

Twilight angrily eyed her friend who was eagerly bouncing in place. "I'm not in love. It's just a crush. Probably not even that, Pinkie."

Pinkie didn't seem fazed by Twilight's rebuke at all. "Okay, so what made you start to crush on her?"

Unwilling to fully explore her feelings, but not seeing any real harm in Pinkie's question, Twilight calmed down and thought back. "Well, when we first met in the library –"

There was a snort of laughter from Rainbow Dash's direction, and when Twilight glared over toward her, she found Applejack grinning wildly as well. Even Fluttershy and Rarity seemed to be struggling to keep their amusement to themselves. Pinkie though seemed genuine and earnest as she hung on Twilight's every word.

Twilight cleared her throat and faced Pinkie again. "As I was saying, the first time I met with Princess Luna and spoke to her pony to pony, well, I wasn't really in the best state of mind. But even then, there was just something about her that made me want to know her better. Something that, I don't know, just clicked between us." Twilight tried to think of how to describe what she felt for Luna, but the best she could offer was, "I suppose I just like being around her, and she's really easy to talk to. When she's with me, I just feel happy."

Pinkie dawwed while Rainbow Dash began making gagging noises which were abruptly cut off by a swift jab from Applejack. During the brief play hooffight that followed, Rarity sighed, "Oh, young love, how precious it is."

"You're only a few months older than me," Twilight deadpanned.

Rarity blinked in surprise. "Well, yes, but you're something of a late bloomer, Twilight dear."

"But don't worry," Pinkie interjected. She leapt over to Twilight and pulled her into a close hug, while throwing out her other hoof and gazing off as if seeing into the far future. "Your Auntie Pinkie is going to make everything a-okay. With me helping, you'll woo Luna like nopony's wooed before, and you'll get to save the princess and get the girl." Pinkie had begun to shake Twilight lightly as she thought out loud to herself, "Or save the girl and get the princess. I don't know, they're kind of the same pony this time I guess. And Rarity and Fluttershy are going to help."

Rarity rolled her eyes at Pinkie's antics, but her self-satisfied smile remained the same. Fluttershy though seemed shocked as she asked, "I am?"

Pinkie released Twilight and spun around to latch onto Fluttershy. "Of course you are, and so are Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Twilight's going to need all the help she can get!"

Rainbow Dash stopped what she was doing, crouched down low, with a light coating of feathers stuck in her mane and Applejack's stetson jauntily covering one ear. "We're what now?" she asked Pinkie in confusion.

A dense pillow socked her in the face, catching her unaware and throwing her off balance, causing the hat to fall to the ground. Applejack, just as feather covered as Rainbow Dash and with several strands of her hair escaping her ponytail, reclaimed her hat and restored it to its rightful place as she said, "'Course we'll help."

"Great!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing away from Fluttershy and circling past all her friends. "Then operation Twiluna is go!"

Twilight's fatigue wasn't doing her any favors as she tried to keep up with Pinkie. "Wait, wait, wait." She held up one of her hooves, asking for the world to stop so she could come to grips with what was happening.

"You don't like the operation name?" Pinkie asked in concern. "I was thinking of calling it 'Get Twilight a piece of that', but that just doesn't roll off the tongue."

Twilight shook her head and tried to pin down Pinkie with her eyes. "It's not that, Pinkie. It's that I'm not in love with Luna. I mean, I like her a lot, but that doesn't mean I love her, does it?"

Rarity politely scoffed. "Twilight, dear, if you could only see the look on your face when you're talking about Luna, you wouldn't even think to question it."

"It is kind of obvious," Applejack agreed, picking the last of the feathers out of her tail.

"It is?" Rainbow Dash asked in confusion.

Twilight rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation. "Come on guys, she's a friend and all –"

"Excuse me, Twilight, but have you ever been in love before?" Fluttershy unexpectedly broke in, her expression oddly serious.

"Have I ever been in love before?" Twilight repeated dumbly. "Well, that is … I kind of … well …" Twilight stumbled over her words as she looked around for support, but under their open, honest gazes, Twilight hung her head and admitted the truth. "No, I guess I haven't."

"Well then, how do you know that you're not in love now?"

"Well –" Twilight bit off the rest of her instinctive reply. About how what she'd been feeling for Luna paled in comparison to the feelings described in the books Rarity had introduced her to.

Fluttershy mercilessly pressed on. "When you're apart, do you think about her a lot?"

"Yes?" Twilight answered.

Fluttershy took a step closer, still oddly insistent. "And when you're together, do you ever want to leave her side and see somepony else?"

Twilight's answer was quicker and much more definitive. "No."

Fluttershy's face was close to Twilight's, her eyes were cloudly and she had a small frown as if in remembered pain. "Do you want to wake up every day and gaze into her eyes? Do you want to go to sleep every night holding her in your hooves?"

It took a moment, but Twilight finally begrudgingly answered, "Yes."

Fluttershy smiled sadly and announced, "Then I think you've moved beyond a crush." Wistfully, and with a far off look in her eyes she added, "And you shouldn't hide from your feelings, refusing to admit that you're in love, only to realize that it's too late to ever tell them how you feel."

She sighed, then blinked and shook her head. As her eyes cleared, she seemed shocked at what she'd said and bowed her head, hiding behind a veil of hair. "Um, I mean, it seems like you love her, I think ..." She sheepishly retreated back to her seat while Twilight and the others stared at her in varying degrees of shock and surprise.

Rarity was the first to recover. "Yes. Well, I believe that Fluttershy has hit the nail on the head, as it were. Despite what you may think, Twilight, it's obvious that you've fallen deeply, madly, desperately in love with Princess Luna." She squealed a bit in excitement. "Oh, it's so wonderful! An innocent and burgeoning romance growing between two adorably sheltered ponies. And she's a princess! Oh, Twilight darling, you're going to be royalty. I'm sure the wedding with be simply wonderful, and full of so many wonderfully stylish ponies. Why I can see it now, both sides of the royal chapel in Canterlot filled with everypony imaginable, waiting anxiously to see a once in a lifetime event. When down the long aisle come the two most fashionably dressed ponies in the room. Of course I'll design both your dresses, and you two will look so wonderful. Although, do you think Luna would prefer a brocade or a muslin trim?"

Rainbow Dash scoffed at Rarity's over dramatization, and Twilight was feeling much the same. But it was clear that no matter what she said, she wasn't going to be able to convince her friends that Luna was just a friend, and nothing more. Well, nothing much more. Maybe if they slept on it, after having time to mull it over, the idea would seem just as crazy to them as Twilight knew it was.

"Fine, whatever you say, Rarity. But I'm tired of talking, so let's all get some sleep." And forget this whole conversation ever happened, Twilight silently added.

She reached out with her magic and plunged their corner of the tent into sudden darkness. Twilight collapsed onto a cushion and levitated a nearby blanket over to her, completely burying herself in it, and started to make loud, pretend snores, showing that she'd already fallen asleep. Her friends murmured amongst themselves, and there was a lot of rustling cloth as they settled down for the night.

As the others settled down, behind Twilight's closed eyes, her thoughts churned and chased each other. What were her feelings for Luna, really? Without question she cared deeply for her, but was it something as simple as a crush, or was Fluttershy right, and it was something deeper?

Normally when she was this confused, Twilight would simply write a letter to Princess Celestia, asking for advice. But just the thought of writing a letter in this situation made Twilight squirm in embarrassment.

'Dear Princess Celestia,

I'm unsure as to whether I have romantic feelings for your sister. Could you please help me sort them out?

After all, I'm sure that you'd be very willing and interested to talk about your sister's love life, and I'm not embarrassed at all to declare my undying love for her.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle'

Yeah, no. Princess Celestia wasn't going to be able to help her, and it seemed all her friends had already made up their minds. So it looked like Twilight was going to have to puzzle her feelings out for herself.

Of course the best way to find out the answer to a question was to use the scientific method. It had helped her many times in the past, so why should now be any different? The only fact that Twilight had to start off with was that she cared for Luna, and the logical hypothesis she needed to test was that she had romantic feelings for the princess. The easiest way to test her hypothesis was to compare what she felt for Luna against the other relationships she'd had in her life.

The earliest love she could remember was of course familial: Twilight loved her parents very much. While she didn't write them as often as she should, Twilight knew that they loved and supported her no matter where she was or what she was doing, and were proud of the unicorn she'd become. Her love was warm and easy, like a heavy comforter on a cold, lazy winter day. Definitely not quite what she felt toward Luna.

The next loving relationship Twilight had entered into was with Princess Celestia. Her feelings for the princess were a bit more complicated than what she felt for her parents. In some ways Princess Celestia felt like another mother for her, but while Twilight was certain that her parents would be proud of her no matter what, she wanted desperately to earn Princess Celestia's Praise. Twilight had driven herself to constantly excel and become the pupil that Princess Celestia deserved; even though the princess would likely have still accepted her if she'd only be above-average. Twilight never wanted Celestia to regret choosing her as her personal student.

But with Luna, while there was still a drive to impress her, and to improve herself, Twilight didn't feel as if she had to be perfect all the time. Princess Celestia was the best teacher, the best mentor, the best heroine that a pony could have, but Luna was just somehow much more approachable.

The next major relationship that Twilight had was the one with all her friends in Ponyville. This comparison was a bit more difficult than the others, because Luna was her friend, and yet, that wasn't quite the right classification. She loved spending time with Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. Whether it was helping Applejack work or play, or if it was reading with Rainbow Dash, or helping her train, Twilight always had fun with them. She enjoyed the tea parties with Rarity and Fluttershy, as well as Pinkie's more lively parties. Twilight loved living in Ponyville and spending almost every day with her friends.

That was perhaps the major distinction between Luna and the others. While Twilight loved her friends, and loved spending time with them, there were times when she just wanted to be alone. Times when she simply couldn't put up with Pinkie's hyper antics any longer. Or when she couldn't pull her mind away from a scientific treatise long enough to pay attention to the latest fashion drama in Rarity's life. And she definitely didn't have as much time for animals as Fluttershy, especially snakes. Rainbow Dash of course spent most of her time in the air, and while Twilight enjoyed reading with her, and at times exercising with her, she simply didn't have as much stamina as her pegasi friend. As for Applejack, while Twilight always enjoyed helping out around her farm, she didn't quite enjoy physical labor as much as Applejack seemed to.

Even the best of friends grated on each other's nerves every once in a while, and during those times, Twilight would retreat into the solitude of a book, or her laboratory, or occasionally a solitary walk when she'd been inside for too long.

But with Luna, even at her most antisocial, Twilight didn't think she'd mind the princess' presence. With other ponies, even her friends, it felt like she had to force herself to be pleasant, to be social, and it was draining. With Luna though, it was effortless. They could be doing something, anything, or nothing, and Twilight didn't feel the need to retreat back into solitude.

The final loving relationship that Twilight could compare her feelings for Luna to was her love toward Spike. He wasn't quite family, and he wasn't quite a friend. He was both. As they'd grown up together, at times Twilight had felt like his mother, his older sister, his roommate, his boss, but above all, his friend. He was always there for her when she needed help, and she tried to be there for him when he needed it as well. They'd lived together for so long that she'd come to take his presence for granted sometimes. Even at her lowest, when she'd thought all her friends had abandoned her, Twilight had known that Spike would stay by her side without question.

But again, her feelings for Spike were different than what she felt toward Luna. While Spike was her number one assistant, and at times felt like her fifth hoof, Twilight knew that he was still a baby and would one day grow up and leave to find his own path in life. So while Twilight did take him for granted every once in a while, she tried to cherish the time they had together. With Luna, Twilight also cherished the time they shared, but not because someday it would end, but simply because being with Luna made her happy and was something that simply deserved to be cherished.

It was difficult to quantify, or even the complex feelings Twilight held for Spike, but she knew they weren't the same as those she felt for Luna.

Under the warm, almost stifling blanket, Twilight snorted in frustration. None of the comparisons to other relationships had disproven her theory. What other evidence was there either for or against her loving Luna?

Their first real meeting, where they'd gotten to know one another, had been predicated upon a misunderstanding that had made Twilight emotionally vulnerable. Had Luna simply been a surrogate for her sister?

The image of Luna's tear streaked face, illuminated by soft moonlight as she admitted her duplicity and how horrible she felt popped into Twilight's head, and she quickly dismissed the suspicion that what she felt for Luna was only the echoes of her rejection from Princess Celestia. If she'd simply shifted her feelings from Celestia to Luna, there was no way that the heart-wrenching pain she'd felt, seeing Luna's pain, could have affected her so much. No, Luna wasn't Celestia, she was her own pony, and the feelings that Twilight held for her were different from what she felt for Celestia. If it had been Celestia with her that night, pouring her heart out to her, Twilight would have felt honored to have been chosen to be so interment with her. But she wouldn't have felt the overwhelming need to hug her tightly, to hold her close, and promise that everything would be alright.

Other memories of the time she'd shared with Luna began to wash over Twilight. Luna's surprised, batter covered face, her beautiful smile, and even more beautiful laughter, when she forgot herself for a moment and allowed herself to be happy. Mostly though, Twilight remembered the sense of comfort and security, the sense of rightness that she had while laying next to Luna in bed, watching her sleep and feeling her breathe.

Her pleasant memories were soured as Twilight remembered Luna's foray with Rainbow Dash. That had been the first time Twilight had begun to realize that Luna wasn't just her friend. As she'd watched her soar into the sky high above Ponyville, going someplace Twilight couldn't really follow; Twilight had experienced a confusing and irrational mix of emotions. Worry, anger, jealousy. All those ugly feelings had boiled to the surface. She'd even vented some of it at Luna before she'd fully realized what she was doing, and what having those feelings implied.

For a while, Twilight had been able to lie to herself and believe the jealously she'd felt was something that she'd feel for any of her friends preferring somepony else's company to her own. But that rationale was flimsy at best, she'd never felt such deep jealousy with any of her other friends before. The last remnants of that particular explanation had been stripped away by their trip to the Everfree Forest.

The elated hope that had surged through Twilight when Luna had burst through the fog, as well as the heart pounding terror that had gripped her as she'd pulled Luna's seemingly lifeless body from the river, had revealed just how deeply she'd come to feel for the princess.

Did she love Luna? Yes, she did. But was it a romantic love? After all the other tests had failed, Twilight felt that there was one more question that had to be answered before moving her hypothesis to theory. Could she see herself being intimate with Luna? While the physical component of a relationship should never be the central pillar, it was one of the major things that differentiated romantic love from any other type.

Twilight thought back to the many times she'd already shared a bed with Luna, as well as back to earlier in the day when Luna had held her tightly while they were flying. The feel of Luna's muscles, taunt beneath her coat. The warmth of her skin, and the smell of her mane, like a dew covered field of flowers. Thanks to all the time they'd spent together, Twilight had become familiar with Luna's body. But in her imagination, she could see herself taking her time as she more thoroughly examined the princess. Running her hooves through Luna's silky mane, across her satin-like coat, across her taunt muscles, perhaps feeling her breath hitch, or her pulse quicken beneath Twilight's soft lips. With a blush, Twilight concluded that she could easily see herself becoming intimate with Luna.

And why not? Luna was quite an attractive pony by anypony's standards. While Twilight had never been intimate with another mare before, or with anypony actually, she had definitely felt something odd at times when she had been with Luna. Kind of hot and prickly, like she'd felt back shortly after she'd gotten her cutie mark and had buried herself in the library, taking particular interest in pony anatomy books.

Twilight was fairly certain that since she could see herself with Luna, in such graphic detail, that she could safely conclude that her feelings for Luna were romantic.

So … she was in love with Luna. Now what? Her hypothesis had made it to theory, but it had only opened up new problems. After all, what good was being in love with somepony if they didn't return your feelings? There was no way that a princess of Equestria would ever even entertain the thought of being attracted to a plain, simple unicorn like Twilight.

She sighed and opened her eyes as she poked her head out from underneath the blanket. All the lights in the tent had been dimmed, so everypony and everything were masses of lumps with only the suggestion of color in the darkness. Movement out of the corner of her eye caught Twilight's attention. Fearing the unknown a bit after all that had happened, she turned her head quickly enough to make her vision swim. But it was only Applejack, sleeping peacefully, but kicking her hind legs in a subliminal buck every once in a while.

Nearby Rarity was drooling all over her pillow, while Rainbow Dash was splayed across four cushions in a position that looked painful. Fluttershy was snoring, quietly, and Pinkie … Well, Pinkie had built a pillow fort, complete with a flag and a note on the side reading 'no sogs allowed.' The only part of her Twilight could see was her poofy pink tail jutting out of the mound of pillows.

Reassured that all her friends were sleeping peacefully, and that everything was fine, Twilight lifted her head up to look back towards where Princess Celestia and Luna were sleeping. Even in the dim illumination of the tent, they glowed, as if filled with an inner light, making it easy for Twilight to pick out their features at a distance.

They were pressed together tightly, as if shielding each other from the dangers of the world. Seeing them peacefully resting in each other's embrace caused a jagged burst of irrational envy to quickly flare to life in Twilight's chest, and just as quickly fade away. Honestly, she couldn't' even tell which one of the princesses she was envious of.

With troubled thoughts and a weary mind, Twilight settled back down and eventually, with many of her questions left unanswered, fell into a deep sleep for real.

With a soft groan, Luna opened her eyes, and just as quickly, shut them again. Celestia had outdone herself and the brilliant sunlight pervading the tent was a bit too strong for Luna's normally dilated eyes. She tried hiding her face under a pillow, but it was too late, the sunlight and the summer heat had driven away any vestiges of her slumber.

Resentfully Luna pushed the pillow away from her face and climbed to her hooves. She stretched her sore muscles, causing one of her knees to pop loudly. She opened her eyes again to find herself alone, the tent completely deserted. Not only where there no ponies in sight, but everything aside from the cushions she'd slept upon had been packed away, leaving only the outer tent walls, and the crushed grass that had been beneath the tent's floor. A bit blearily, Luna walked toward the nearest exit, which appeared to her still sensitive eyes as a solid rectangle of intense white. She paused on the threshold, shielding her eyes with one dark wing.

Nearby, Celestia was conversing with a trio of expressionless pegasi next to a table covered in fresh fruit, the majority of which seemed to be apples. Luna noticed that the campsite they'd been staying in was placed near the Ponyville train depot, and there were several attendants hurrying about, packing various things into boxes and parcels they were stacking on the platform in preparation for the next train's arrival. In the distance Luna could see the top of Twilight's library, and was reassured by the familiar sight, even though none of her friends seemed to have remained behind to greet her.

"Ah, you're awake, Princess Luna," A voice came from beside her, causing Luna to jump a little. She turned to find Dr. Golden Doublet eyeing her appraisingly. "After such a long rest, you should be well on your way to being fully healed."

"Hello, Dr. Golden Doublet." Luna said politely. "Just how long was I asleep?"

"It's just past noon actually." The doctor replied conversationally. She stepped closer toward Luna, invading the princess' personal space. "If you'll hold still for a moment, I'll remove your bandages, and we can make sure that everything is healing the way it should be."

So saying, the doctor's horn lit up and her magical aura surrounded the many bandages swaddling Luna, firmly and efficiently unwrapping and cutting through them. She paid particular attention to the bandage covering Luna's forehead, and smiled triumphantly when it was removed.

"Not even a scar," she commented with pride. "I came up with the magical mesh imbued in the cloth myself. It's even better than Blueberry Tea's, if I do say so myself. Any other doctor and I can assure you that your convalescence would be twice as long."

"I see," replied Luna, not knowing who Blueberry Tea was. "Well, thank you very much, Dr. Golden Doublet."

"Think nothing of it," the good doctor replied as she disposed of the used bandages by stuffing them into a saddle bag she was wearing marked with little pastel biohazard symbols. She was obviously quickly losing interest in Luna now that the princess was no longer injured. "If you'll excuse me, Princess Luna, I have twenty or so interns I've had to leave in the midst of their training, doing Celestia knows what to my hospital while I was away."

"Oh, yes, of course. Thank you again Dr. Golden Doublet."

The doctor didn't reply as she turned and quickly disappeared around a corner of the tent, heading in the general direction of the train depot.

Behind Luna, the tent collapsed in upon itself, and she whirled around to find at least a dozen ponies pulling up stakes and removing the tent's supports. Quickly getting the feeling that she was standing in the way of a well-oiled machine, Luna sought refuge with her sister.

"Ah, Luna, good morning!" Celestia greeted her with a bright smile as Luna approached.

One of the ponies Celestia had been speaking with, a stallion with a pocket watch for a cutie mark, cleared his throat.

Without missing a beat, Celestia pleasantly amended, "Afternoon. Either way, I'm glad to see you up and looking so rested." Her serene eyes roamed over Luna's figure. "I can see that you've already met with Dr. Golden Doublet. You look much better this morning than you did last night."

Celestia's horn glowed slightly, and Luna blushed as she could feel Celestia's soft magic envelop her and smooth away her bed mane.

Wanting to save some face in front of their audience, Luna tried to steer Celestia's attention away from her unkempt hair and her need to straighten it as if Luna were still a school filly. While she levitated a few of the more appetizing apples over to her in order to break her fast, Luna tried to coolly observe, "It looks as if the preparations to leave Ponyville seem to be well underway."

"Well, our trip to Ponyville was a bit … impromptu. I'm afraid that I left Canterlot in the middle of various affairs of state, as Midori Sour here has been so dutiful to remind me. I'm afraid that we've thrown off your schedule, haven't we, Midori?"

The stallion who'd corrected Celestia earlier gravely replied in a tone as full of self-importance as it was with displeasure, "You are the ruler of Equestria, Your Highness, and may do as you please."

Celestia was still smiling, but she sighed through her nose and Luna could tell she was restraining herself from rolling her eyes. Instead she turned her attention back to Luna. "So you can see, Luna, we need to return to Canterlot as soon as possible in order to take care of all the work that's piled up in our absence. In fact, from what Midori was telling me, once we get home, I'm afraid we'll both have our hooves full thanks to the backlog of petitioners and subject matter experts we were scheduled to see."

The apples were delicious and juicy, and Luna had a cheekful that she had to hastily swallow as she looked up at Celestia in surprise. "You mean that there are ponies who are willing to come and visit me? To have me arbitrate their disagreements?"

Celestia's eyes sparked mischievously as she replied, "Yes, there are quite a few ponies who'd like for you to 'arbitrate' for them. I've decided that I'd appreciate a little more time off, now that there are two of us. So I've requested that our petitioners be spread evenly between the day and the night."

"I see." Luna tried to keep a calm demeanor as she carefully set her apple back down on the table, but inside she was leaping with joy. While she'd held night court ever since her return from the moon, for the most part it had been entirely procedural, with few actual petitioners appearing before her. But now she was going to preside over a real court where ponies would come to her with their problems. She could already see herself listening to them with a learned and knowing air, and after a suitably wise pause, she'd pass her judgment and in one fell swoop would solve the problem to the satisfaction of all parties involved, as well as create a new precedence which would become the foundation for a new era of pony jurisprudence.

Luna's elation at the prospect of ponies who actually wanted to see her in lieu of Celestia was damped by the sobering realization that with her return to Canterlot, she'd be leaving behind Twilight and the rest of her friends.

"Well, I suppose I was scheduled to return today," she said morosely.

Celestia's smile fell to a more neutral angle. "I know that it will be difficult to leave all your new friends, Luna. I know they'll miss you just as much. They waited for you to wake up this morning, but unfortunately they had responsibilities that they needed to see to. However, they did promise me to not let you leave without meeting them in the town square for a going away surprise."

Luna smiled in relief. She should have known that her friends wouldn't abandon her. She, more than most ponies, could well understand the demands of duty.

"I see. So, when are we supposed to meet with them?"

Celestia looked up to gauge how much sky the sun had traversed and cocked her head to the side, as if doing some mental calculation. "Hmm, I'd say about … right now." She turned to the ponies sill standing nearby and agreeably stated, "Midori Sour, Golden Dream, Snowball, if you'll excuse us, we have a very important meeting to attend before we leave Ponyville." The trio frowned at each other, as if to say, "yeah, right." Celestia's smile didn't falter as she promised, "I assure you gentlecolts, that we'll return to Canterlot with all due haste, and get things back to normal as soon as possible."

Still looking unconvinced, the three advisors bowed low to both Celestia and Luna, and then took their leave, quietly speaking amongst themselves as they walked in the general direction of the train station.

Celestia let out a breath before turning to Luna and asking, "Well then, shall we?"

With a hint of resignation that her vacation was just about over, Luna attempted to smile as she replied, "Yes, lets." She took a few steps toward Ponyville, but turned back in confusion when she noticed that Celestia wasn't following her.

Her sister raised a rather rakish eyebrow, and with a mischievous smile unfurled her magnificent wings. Luna blinked and Celestia was airborne. Luna took the hint and launched herself after Celestia, who'd taken an early lead.

It felt good to stretch her wings again.

Celestia continued to pull ahead of Luna, pretending, as she usually did, that flying so fast was effortless. Luna knew better though. This was an old and familiar game that they'd played many times before. Celestia trying to maintain her composure and float through the sky, Luna racing after her, pushing her to fly faster and faster to stay ahead, until finally Celestia would be forced to break her façade and begin pumping her wings as frantically as Luna. It was a childish and silly game, but Luna couldn't hide her smile of excitement as she closed in on Celestia.

Of course Celestia noticed her beginning to catch up and pulled ahead. A slight sheen of sweat glistened in the sunlight on her forehead, betraying the strain of going so fast. Luna had very nearly caught up with her by the time that they arrived at the first line of Ponyville roofs. However, with an unspoken agreement, both sisters slowed down quickly and tried to appear as if there was nothing out of the ordinary as they made perfectly matched landings in the center of Ponyville.

Luna tried not to reveal how heavily she was breathing as she scanned their surroundings. Near one side of the square waited the royal carriage. Aside from the squad already tethered to the carriage, there were several ponies in the square already, most of whom dropped into respectful bows before the two regal sisters. A few even waved at Luna after they stood back up. Luna smiled inwardly at her newfound popularity and discreetly waved back.

The only pony who failed to bow looked less like a pony and more like a pink comet with a tail of multi-hued streamers and confetti trailing behind her. She raced past Luna and Celestia, and Luna found herself wearing an impromptu garland of bright paper chains meant to be strung between poles.

Luna tried to keep up with the blur of pink as she called out, "Pinkie, what's the meaning of all this?" She reached up with a hoof to hold up the paper chains strung around her neck.

Pinkie slowed down slightly as she explained, "It's your going away celebration, duh. I was going to throw you a super duper big party, but you never told me when you were leaving, which isn't very nice. Though, you might have told me and I just forgot. I do that a lot. Well, not a lot, just sometimes. Like this one time I was throwing so many parties that I forgot my own birthday! Can you believe that? But this morning, when I woke up, I had a great idea to throw you a going away celebration, which is like a party, but not really. It's closer to a shindig, but takes less time, which is good because I didn't even have my party cannon loaded. Well, it was, but it was loaded with cake batter again. Anyway, what was the question?"

While she'd been speaking, Pinkie had been a whirlwind of energy, until she stopped right in front of Celestia and Luna, not even breathing hard.

"Oh, uh …" Luna lost her train of thought as she looked around in amazement. In a matter of seconds the square had been given a much more festive appearance, with bright colors and bows everywhere. Even the string of paper that had been draped around her had disappeared without her noticing and was now several lengths overhead. There were even a series of long tables setup in the center of the square laden with food and punch bowls. Nearby there was a quartet of bleary eyed ponies holding various instruments. They looked around themselves, and at each other, in confusion before they shrugged and began to play a soft polka.

"I must say, you're quite the energetic young pony, Pinkie Pie," Celestia observed. "Everything looks lovely. I'm sure that Luna's very thankful for such a wonderful sendoff. Aren't you Luna?"

Luna recollected herself and answered, "Oh, yes. Yes, I am. Thank you Pinkie, it's wonderful."

Pinkie cheerfully replied, "Aw, it was nothing. I like to throw parties for all my friends. Especially my new super best friends, and double especially for Twilight's –"

Pinkie was abruptly cut off by an orange hoof firmly planted in her mouth. Luna hadn't known that Applejack had even arrived in the square, but she'd actually dived past the princesses to censor Pinkie. She looked up at Celestia and Luna sheepishly as she climbed to her hooves and used her unoccupied hoof to firmly hug Pinkie to her side, with no intention of removing the hoof that was silencing her friend.

"Heh, begging your pardon, Your Majesties, but Pinkie and Ah've got to have a real quick talk about, uh, earth pony things. We'll be right back."

The sisters looked on as Applejack drug her mostly non-resisting friend away. As they left, Luna could hear Applejack inform Pinkie, "You can quit licking my hoof. Ah'm not letting up till we've had a talk."

Luna pursed her lips together thoughtfully before she commented to nopony in general, "That was certainly odd."

Celestia imperceivably hunched her shoulders in a regal shrug. "Equestria is a large place, with many ponies in it. For some reason though, the oddest are always attracted to Ponyville."

"Perhaps it's something in the water," Luna suggested.

"Maybe it's the proximity to the Everfree Forest," Celestia countered.

Their conjectures were interrupted by a pleasant voice, "Ah, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, what an honor it is for you to visit our small town." Both Luna and Celestia turned to find a white maned, bespeckled earth pony beaming at them as she respectfully approached.

Celestia slipped back into her monarch mode as she greeted the mare, "Mayor, it's a pleasure to see you again. And Ponyville is looking as beautiful and as lively as ever."

The mayor swelled with pride and held her head up so high that Luna feared her cravat would break free from her collar. "Well, we do try our best. We might not generate as much tax revenue as some other cities, but we've been able to maintain a budget surplus for the past three years straight. And of course the interesting incidents we've been having these past few years have increased our tourism by forty percent. The Ponyville Chamber of Commerce even put out a new brochure …" The mayor turned her head and retrieved a glossy pamphlet that had been tucked into her collar and proudly displayed it to the princesses. On its front was a photograph of the city hall embossed with the caption, "Visit historic Ponyville: A wonderful place to live!"

"That's … wonderful, mayor," Luna broke in. "But I'm afraid that there are several matters of state that we must attend to before we leave. In fact we need to meet privately with the Elements of Harmony, and then return to Canterlot as swiftly as possible."

The mayor's ears and the corners of her mouth drooped as she replied disappointedly, "Oh."

"But rest assured, that looks like a wonderful brochure," Celestia chimed in. "And I'll be sure to have the palace steward reserve a place of honor in the foyer of the palace."

The mayor perked up at the news, positively beaming. "Oh! That would be wonderful," she said around a mouthful of brochure. "Thank you so very much, princess."

Celestia laughed gaily. "Think nothing of it, mayor. Now then, if you'll excuse us …"

Having extracted themselves from the tedious conversation, Luna began to cross the square, heading in the direction Applejack had taken Pinkie. Celestia followed after her.

Rarity and Fluttershy had joined the two earth ponies, both wearing saddlebags, and all four were having a heated, whispered conversation. Well, three of them were. It was difficult to describe anything Fluttershy did as heated. The four ponies noticed the princesses' approach and hastily broke off their discussion and looked up at Luna expectantly. Pinkie and rarity were both smiling strangely, while Applejack looked somewhat apprehensive, and Fluttershy looked like she was in the midst of transitioning from nervous to outright panic.

"It's wonderful to see you up and about, Princess Luna." Rarity said with heartfelt warmth. "Although, it is disappointing that you must leave so soon. Why, it feels as if you've just arrived, dear."

Luna smiled sadly in reply. "I'm sorry to leave too, Rarity. It's been wonderful spending time with all of you here in Ponyville."

"Well then, just don't go," suggested Pinkie. "After this going away celebration's done, we can throw you an even bigger welcome back party."

"That's sweet of you, Pinkie," Luna replied. She glanced toward Celestia before continuing, "But I'm afraid that I must return to Canterlot and take up my duties as Princess of Equestria again."

Pinkie deflated a little and lost her normally exuberant smile as she let out a disappointed, "awww."

Applejack leaned over and gave her a soft nudge with a knee. "Now don't be like that Pinkie. Luna's got responsibilities the same as the rest of us."

"Yeah, I know all about responsibilities," Pinkie said in a tone that sounded as if she wished she'd never heard of them.

"I'm afraid it's my fault, my little ponies," Celestia announced. She used one of her wings to hug Luna closely to her in a potentially embarrassing display of affection. "I've just grown so used to having her back and sharing the burden of ruling, that everything just falls to pieces when she's gone for too long." Luna knew that Celestia was likely enjoying the embarrassment she was causing her sister by being so overly dramatic, but she felt like her older sister deserved some merriment after the last few days. Even if it was at her expense.

Rarity stepped forward and batted her eyes toward Celestia. "Oh, we understand completely, Princess Celestia." She turned her smile on Luna. "But before you go, Luna, we would like to give you some going away gifts. To remember us by, if you will."

Celestia loosened her embrace, allowing Luna to step forward and bashfully reply, "Thank you, Rarity. But you really don't need to give me anything. I assure you, I'll remember this trip forever."

Rarity's eyes danced as she smiled beautifully. "I'm sure you will, Luna. But, be that as it may, I'd still like to give you this." She turned her head slightly and her horn glowed with magic. Out of the saddlebag at her side floated a long lavender scarf made out of shimmering silk. She draped it over Luna's neck and deftly wrapped it into a loose knot. She studied Luna with a discerning eye for a moment before pronouncing, "Just as I thought, lavender looks simply stunning with your coloring. Though of course it's much too warm for scarves now, it will keep you nice and warm when it's cooler out."

Luna reached up and ran an appreciative hoof along the soft fabric, pressing it against her cheek. "Thank you very much, Rarity. I'll treasure it always," she said with heartfelt gratitude.

"This is for you too, Luna," Fluttershy spoke up. She stepped forward and brought forth one of her wings, offering Luna a large flower with white and blue petals shot through with dark purple veins ending in purple tips. "It's called a moonflower, and only blooms at night," she explained.

"It's lovely. Thank you, Fluttershy." As Luna tucked the flower behind her ear, Fluttershy blushed and backed up, taking refuge slightly behind Rarity.

Applejack took the opportunity to speak up. "Well, the Apple family's never been known much for sentimentality, but we did appreciate your visit to the farm, Luna. This here's from all of us, Big Mac, Applebloom, Granny Smith, and me." She tilted her hat back and bounced her head to dislodge a small cloth bag from her mane, letting it land perfectly in a waiting hoof.

Luna gingerly floated the small bag from Applejack's outstretched hoof, and opened it to find several small black seeds inside.

"That's some of the Apple family's finest stock," Applejack explained with pride. "'Course it'll take a few years for you to get your first crop, but it'll be worth it, Ah guarantee it."

"They'll have a place of honor in the royal gardens," Luna promised her. She cinched the small bag shut and securely tucked it behind her wing.

"Aw, I didn't get you anything, Luna," Pinkie loudly complained. "Now I feel like a McMeanie Pants."

"But Pinkie, you've thrown me this lovely celebration," Luna admonished her friend. She stepped closer and lifted Pinkie's lowered head to show her the banquet tables and the impromptu dance floor where a multitude of ponies were enjoying the punch and polka music. "Just because it isn't something that I can take with me, doesn't mean I don't appreciate your gift just as much as everypony else's."

Luna was unsure of how much Pinkie had understood what she'd said, but her spirits seemed to have improved. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Luna. I mean, what better present is there than having a good time? Come on, let's party!"

Pinkie grabbed Luna by the hoof, and was trying to pull her toward where other ponies were already dancing, but Luna resisted. Thankfully Rainbow Dash interrupted them, landing with a loud pomf in between Pinkie and Luna. The goggles Luna had enchanted hanging loosely around her neck. "Hey guys, check it out," she said while nodding her head behind her.

They all looked up to find two large and vibrant rainbows stretching all the way from Ponyville to Canterlot.

"A double rainbow," Fluttershy breathed. "But what does it mean?"

"It means that I'm awesome," Rainbow Dash boasted with her head held high and chest puffed out. She sobered a bit as she looked over at Luna. "But really, I just wanted to prove that if you ever need me for anything, say the word and I can be in Canterlot in ten seconds flat, okay PL?"

"Thank you Rainbow Dash. If the need ever arises, I'll know I can count on you," Luna replied with honest sincerity.

Rainbow Dash was suddenly bashful and tongued tied, uncertain of how to reply.

Luna angled her head until she was able to meet Rainbow Dash's eyes, and smiled brightly, coaxing a warm smile from the pegasus as well. She lifted up her head and met each of her friends' eyes in turn, feeling overwhelmed by the open affection and honest acceptance she found in each of them. She wasn't sure what she should say to them, if she could fully express just how important they were to her, but she had to try.

"I know I've already thanked you for your wonderful gifts, and more importantly for your friendship, but I just wanted to say it again. Thank you. Thank you all so very much. You've all been just so wonderful to me, and are truly the best friends a pony could ever ask for."

"Aw shucks, sugarcube," Applejack said with a surprisingly bashful blush, and a hint of moisture in her eyes. "You're a darn good friend to have too."

"Yeah, I mean, you're pretty cool," Rainbow Dash added in, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof.

Rarity snorted and rolled her eyes at the inadequacy of Rainbow Dash's sentiment before she stepped forward and declared, "It's been both an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity know you better, Princess Luna." She gave Luna a quick wink and a knowing smile. "And don't you fret, when I'm finished with my latest creation, not only will you be the toast of Canterlot, but I guarantee a certain somepony will only have eyes for you."

"Like that'll be hard," Rainbow Dash interjected. She was loudly shushed by Applejack.

Luna was confused by what exactly Rarity and Rainbow dash were alluding to, but she could certainly appreciate the sentiment behind their kind words.

Fluttershy leaned in close to Luna and sweetly said, "It's been so nice to meet you Luna, and I hope that we can keep in touch. It's so easy to talk to you about things."

"I'd like that very much, Fluttershy."

"Oh, I can't stand goodbyes!" Pinkie suddenly cried out loudly. She rushed over to Luna and somehow wrapped her legs around not only her, but the rest of their friends, pulling them all into a tight group hug. "I'm going to miss you soooo much!" Pinkie exclaimed, veritable rivers of tears pouring from her eyes.

Luna found herself painfully pressed against Applejack, and tried to shift herself in order to get some space to breath. But it was impossible to move an inch in Pinkie's iron grip.

Giving into the inevitable Luna reached up with her hoof and placating patted her leg. "I'll miss you too, Pinkie," she gasped out. "But we'll see each other again very soon, there's a festival in Canterlot coming up next month, and you're all invited as my guests."

Pinkie's tears ebbed, but her crushing embrace was unyielding as she sniffed out, "Really?"

"Yes. You all will have rooms at the palace, and we can even throw a royal party of our own if you'd like."

Without warning Pinkie released her friends, and without any trace that she'd been absolutely despondent only moments before, she bounced around Luna and the others happily exclaiming, "Okie Dokie then! We're going to have so much fun!"

"Er, yes, we shall," coughed out Luna. She would have stumbled to the ground after Pinkie's abrupt and energetic hug, if it hadn't been for Applejack reaching out and supporting her. She flashed the farmer a smile of thanks as she hastily righted herself and backed up to a more socially acceptable distance. She looked toward Celestia for confirmation of her invitation, and found her sister making a poor attempt at hiding her amusement. With a tilt of her head Celestia indicated the waiting flying carriage, and Luna realized that it was past time for her to be gone.

Luna swept a final, mournful glance around the square, looking for a pony that wasn't there. Perhaps she'd said or done something to betray her feelings for Twilight, and had driven her away. She tried to banish such dark thoughts, but still she couldn't help but wonder where her best friend was, and why she wasn't there to say goodbye.

With a half-hearted smile, Luna declared. "Well, I suppose that I must be leaving you. I hope to see you all again very –"

A loud but distant cry of "Luna wait!" interrupted her and Luna looked up in surprise to find Twilight Sparkle racing toward them. With her hair in disarray, and with a replacement pair of saddlebags thumping her sides, Twilight dodged and ducked through the growing crowd enjoying the party, brushing past some ponies and nearly barreling into others. As she watched Twilight's approach, a part of Luna was dimly aware that she'd broken into a wide grin.

Finally, after having jostled many drinks and plates, and offending several of her neighbors, Twilight was standing in front of Luna, panting for breath.

Several strands of hair had broken away from Twilight's mane, and a tuft or two had popped up. Knowing Rarity's penchant for orderliness, Luna preempted her, and while Twilight was catching her breath, Luna carefully reached out with her magic and tucked her loose strands of hair into their proper places.

The run had obviously worn out the normally sedate Twilight. Between pants she was able to get out, "You… almost… forgot… these!"

Twilight's horn glowed and out of her saddlebag floated Luna's crown and other regalia. Honestly, Luna had entirely forgotten all about them during her stay in Ponyville. With a sheepish, "thank you," Luna reached out and took back her raiment. She allowed her magical energy to slide across Twilight's, creating soft, pleasurable ripples in both. The feel of Twilight's magic had changed subtly. It wasn't exactly calmer than it had been, but perhaps more subdued. Likely she was still recovering from the events of the previous day.

Luna wanted to spend more time exploring Twilight's magical aura, but she'd spent too long already. Hastily she donned her royal attire and slid her crown back into its accustomed place. She felt heavy and burdened by all the metal, but she knew that soon she would grow used to the weight once again.

Without a mirror, it was difficult to judge her appearance, so she asked Twilight, "So, how do I look?"

"Perfect," Twilight breathed out. She seemed to have caught her breath for the most part and apologized, "I'm sorry for being late, but Spike got into some kind of silly eating contest with Angel yesterday, and he's really sick this morning."

"It's fine, Twilight. It doesn't matter when you arrive, I know you're always there for me."

Twilight stood up straight and gave Luna a small, hopeful smile. She then turned toward Celestia, who was regarding them with a strange, unreadable expression. She walked over to her mentor and stopped, anxiously shifting from hoof to hoof as her words tumbled out. "I know I've already said it, Princess Celestia. But I just wanted you to know that I'm so sorry for making such a huge mistake."

Celestia regally waved Twilight's words away with a shake of her hoof. "Twilight, if anypony should be apologizing, it should be me. I never should have neglected you like I did." She laughed lightly. "Although, I think that we've both learned a valuable lesson in friendship."

Twilight chuckled along with Celestia. "Heh, yeah, I suppose we did."

Celestia's laugh faded away and she looked down at her protégé with love and open, honest sincerity. "Twilight, I hope that we can leave this … misunderstanding behind us. I'd love to have our relationship to be as free and easy as it used to be." Her smile turned a bit wistful as she added, "Although, I'd like it even more if we were no longer merely teacher and student, but simply friends."

Shocked, and perhaps a bit overwhelmed, Twilight replied, "I'd like that too, Princess Celestia. Although, I'm not sure if I can stop asking you for advice."

Celestia's laughter rung out like pealing silver bells. "That's quite alright, Twilight. I'm sure that we still have much to teach each other."

"I think so too," Twilight replied with a wide smile. She seemed like she wanted to say more, but instead she bit her lower lip and shot a glance in Luna's direction before just as quickly looking away.

Celestia observed it all, and with a strange smile told Twilight, "Go and say your goodbyes to Luna. I know that she's been looking forward to speaking with you before she left."

Gratefully, Twilight made a hurried, perfunctory bow and turned to walk back over to Luna. Her wooden smile and rigid stance confused Luna. Had she done something wrong? Had she somehow offended Twilight, transforming their goodbye into a necessary duty to be endured?

Horribly tense, yet trying to act as if she wasn't, Twilight asked, "Could I speak with you in private, Luna?"

"Certainly," Luna easily replied. She did wonder what it was that Twilight needed to say that couldn't be overheard by the others. She looked in confusion toward her friends who seemed to be wearing a mixture of surprised and expectant expressions. For some reason Rainbow Dash was begrudgingly giving Applejack several bits.

Luna allowed herself to be led away until she and Twilight were closer to the twirling dancers than their friends, and away from anypony eavesdropping.

Twilight cleared her throat. "Luna, I just wanted to say that I haven't forgotten my promise to you."

Luna raked her memory as she asked, "What promise?"

"To never let you be alone again." Her voice became earnest as she went on. "I promise to write you every night, and I'll come visit you as often as I can. I'll bug you so much that you won't have time to be lonely." She chuckled weakly.

With a heartfelt smile, Luna replied, "Thank you Twilight. That means more to me than you can possibly know." A corner of her mouth quirked a bit higher and she teased, "Although, between your letters to Celestia and myself, I don't think that you'll have very much time to devote to your study of love."

Luna chuckled warmly, but Twilight could only manage a wan smile. She shuffled her hooves and looked away for a moment, as if steeling her resolve. Suddenly she looked up at Luna with clear, intense, and depthless eyes. "Luna," she began with an odd lilt to her voice. "There's something, that is … I …"

Under Luna's questioning eyes, Twilight seemed to shrink in upon herself and looked down at the ground in defeat. She took a deep breath and seemed to be murmuring something almost inaudibly. Luna leaned forward to better learn what Twilight was saying, which was how they ended up nearly nose to nose when Twilight abruptly snapped her head up.

Twilight's eyes bored into Luna's as if searching for something important, causing Luna's heart to begin melting under their intensity. With a note of determined steel in her voice that Luna hadn't heard from her friend before, Twilight earnestly said, "Luna, you are one of the most incredible ponies I've ever known, and I've come to care for you a great deal." Twilight seemed on the verge of stumbling into another awkward silence, but defiantly she continued to meet Luna's eyes and simply stated, "Luna, I think I love you."

Luna smiled happily and cheerfully replied, "Oh, Twilight, I love you too!"

Twilight's eyes widened in sublime joy, and her smile grew larger and larger, causing Luna to fear that it might well go entirely around her head.

"I love all my friends, very much," Luna continued.

Twilight's face froze, as if she were standing atop a thinning cloud, looking down at the ground far below.

Luna raised her voice, encompassing the rest of their friends. "Each of you has been so kind to me."

With every word, Twilight's face fell deeper and deeper into despair. Luna wasn't sure what she'd said to cause her friend such distress, and looked down at her with confusion, her words beginning to falter. She looked to the others for support and saw that Fluttershy was smiling serenely, while Pinkie Pie was giggling uncontrollably behind her hooves. Rarity had solidly planted her face in her hoof and was shaking it from side to side, while a dour Applejack was returning an exuberant Rainbow Dash's bits. Luna frowned slightly, but continued on, "That's why I look forward to …" She turned to look back at Twilight and found her nearly in tears. Completely ignorant of the cause of her distress, Luna lamely finished "the upcoming festival."

Twilight sniffed as if she were holding back her tears, and sorrowfully replied, "Yeah, Luna, I guess I'll see you there."

Luna knew that she'd deeply hurt Twilight, but had no idea how. She was on the cusp of asking her what she'd done wrong, but before she could, there was a stern throat clearing from Celestia's direction. Luna looked over to find one of the stallions of the guard whispering into Celestia's ear.

Celestia flicked her ear, dismissing the guard, and loudly called over to Luna, "I hate to cut your goodbyes short, Luna, but we're needed back in Canterlot immediately."

"Yes, but –"

"It's okay, you can go," Twilight told Luna sadly.

Luna desperately wanted to stay. She'd obviously hurt Twilight somehow, and didn't want to see her so distressed. But at the same time she had the feeling that the longer she stayed, the more she'd upset her friend. So, with hesitant steps and a bowed head, she followed Celestia and took her place on the royal carriage.

The celebrating ponies had paused their festivities to pay homage to the royal sisters, and crowded around the carriage, cheering the princesses who regally waved back at them. The last of the guards fastened his harness, and the carriage was ready for liftoff. Luna smiled uncertainly one last time at her friends, and her gaze lingered on the downcast Twilight.

Her words were echoing in her mind, and suddenly it was as if a vital connection had been made in her brain. She desperately leaned over the side of the carriage and shouted out to Twilight, "Wait, when you said –!"

With a crack of straining bindings, the carriage jerked forward and in moments Twilight and the others were just so many colorful dots far below.

With her scarf streaming out behind her, and with Applejack's seeds clutched beneath one wing, Luna contemplated simply dropping everything and leaping over the side of the carriage to ask Twilight if she'd meant what Luna hoped, dreamed that she meant. But before she could, Celestia wrapped her in a powerful hug.

"So, Luna, when you wrote to me you said that you had something important to talk to me about."

With a sinking feeling, Luna remembered that while Twilight and Celestia had reconciled, she'd carefully not told Celestia about Luna's role in her difficulties with her student. Not looking forward to Celestia's reaction to the news of her duplicity, Luna nonetheless squared her shoulders and prepared to tell her the truth.

"To be honest, Celestia, there's something that I need to explain …"

With a face that easily betrayed her breaking heart, Twilight watched as the royal carriage disappeared into the sky toward Canterlot. It had looked like Luna had tried to say something as they were leaving, but over the noises of the ponies crowded around the carriage, and the sound of the pegasi drawing it taking flight, Twilight hadn't been able to hear her.

"Don't look so glum, Twilight," Rarity said, coming to stand close to her.

Twilight simply snorted. How was she supposed to be chipper and upbeat? She'd admitted her feelings to Luna and Luna had simply called her a friend. At least now she had a better understanding of herself. It wouldn't hurt nearly as badly if she wasn't really in love with Luna.

"Rarity's right, Twilight. There's no need to look like somepony died," Applejack spoke up.

"You heard her, she said I was her friend," Twilight replied derisively.

Pinkie piped up, "Of course she did, you are her friend silly!"

"Yes she is, Pinkie," Rarity said soothingly. "But Twilight wants to be something more, which is entirely understandable. But don't fret, Twilight dear, what a mare feels, what she thinks, and what she says are all three very different things."

"Yeah, like when I'm eating vanilla ice cream, but I really want strawberry, and I say that I want chocolate, because chocolate is good too and everypony loves chocolate!"

Rarity looked askance at Pinkie as she replied, "Er, yes, Pinkie. Something like that. Anyway, as I was saying, Twilight, just because Luna said you were her friend doesn't mean that she doesn't want to be something more later on. Why, some of the most romantic relationships in history started out as simple friendships."

Rainbow Dash looked uncomfortable, but she chimed in, "I don't know much about all this romance stuff, Twilight. But I think that Rarity's on to something. I mean if you really do 'love' Luna, then don't you have a better chance by being her friend, then by being just some random pony? Besides, she's kind of like you, and sometimes she just doesn't realize stuff that's obvious to everypony else."

Twilight's eyes cut over to Rainbow Dash, and she curtly asked, "And what does that mean?"

Even more uncomfortably, Rainbow Dash explained, "Well you know, sometimes you're so wound up about trying to figure something out, that you don't see what's right in front of you. Luna's kinda like that too."

Twilight wanted to argue with Rainbow Dash, but she slumped slightly as she realized there was a grain of truth to what she said. But as she further analyzed what her friends had said, Twilight began to realize that they made excellent points. So what if she was just Luna's friend? That didn't mean that was all she'd ever be to her. If she really wanted to win Luna's heart, moping around wasn't going to do it.

With resolution in her eyes, Twilight held her head up high and began racing back to her house.

"Hey Twilight, were you going?" Pinkie called out after her. "You're missing the celebration!"

"Sorry Pinkie, I've got a letter to write!" Twilight called out over her withers. She faced forward with a brilliant smile on her face, and in the far distance, she saw a golden twinkle. Silently she promised Luna that she would one day catch up with her.

The End

Of Part 2

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><p>Thanks to Pyrite and Lambotrist for editing.<p>

Tune in for the exciting conclusion to this tale of suspense and adventure in Part 3.

Coming soon to a website near you.

(This story is also being posted on fimfiction if you prefer that format to this.)


	9. Part 3a

I do not own My Little Pony

You've done well to make it this far, but let's see how you deal with _THIS_!

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><p>As the wind rushed by their chariot, creating a veil of noise which protected them from the rest of the world, Celestia let the silence between her and Luna stretch out for several seconds longer than strictly necessary following Luna's confession concerning her lie of omission. Luna fearfully looked up at Celestia through her long lashes, and she seemed to almost cringe while she waited to hear her sister's judgment on her actions. While she may not have caused the rift between Celestia and Twilight, she had certainly allowed it to widen drastically.<p>

Celestia tried to school her expression into one befitting a stern monarch, but honestly she was too relieved to put very much effort into it. Despite all that had happened, Nightmare Moon and the many long years aside, she still had some insight into her sister's mind. Certainly, Luna could surprise her from time to time, but that only proved they were different ponies. No matter what happened, she would always be Celestia's little sister.

Finally, after after allowing Luna to torture herself for long enough, Celestia let her facade crumble and dumbfounded her with a brilliant smile. "It's all right, Luna. I forgive you. You haven't caused any permanent damage to the relationship I share with Twilight, none more than I myself have. And I can understand why you did what you did. Although, I must say the line of thought which led you to remain silent to both Twilight and myself, wasn't quite ... " She paused, searching for a wording that would be delicate enough not to offend Luna.

"Contemporary?" Luna suggested.

Celestia had been thinking more along the lines of 'healthy.' "Er, yes." With concern filling her eyes she examined Luna's face, trying to understand her a bit better. "Surely you don't really believe that by forming new relationships, a pony's feelings for their old friends simply fade away?"

Luna's cheeks darkened and she avoided Celestia's eyes. "No. Well, not anymore. Twilight has been a wonderful friend, and she's shown me how my previous understanding of friendship was flawed. How there's no set amount of affection in a pony's heart. It grows and shrinks depending on the pony and her friends, and by loving some pony more, it doesn't mean you love anypony else less. The more relationships you have, the more connections with other ponies you make, the greater your love can be. I must admit that at first I was a tad skeptical, but Twilight has shown me that her heart at least is large enough for everypony. She still cares for you greatly, Celestia, but she also has shown me greater kindness and affection than anypony else."

Celestia chuckled lightly. "As always, Twilight has become quite an expert in what I've assigned her to study." Canterlot was still a ways off, and Celestia wanted to hear more about Luna's adventures, straight from the pony's mouth. "But tell me, did you and Twilight spend all your time together discussing friendship? What other fun and exciting things did you two get up to while on your vacation?"

A variety of emotions flickered across Luna's face, from joy, to embarrassment, to pain, and regret, before calming into an introspective, almost severe, and yet wistfully longing expression.

"We did a great many things during my visit. In all honesty, it blurs and runs together somewhat. Somehow it feels as if I squeezed in a year's worth of experience into only a few days. Yet at the same time it feels as if I'd just but arrived." She sighed and smiled softly. "I've learned so much on this trip and from my friendship with Twilight Sparkle." Her smile grew larger and she let out a soft chuckle. "Although, there are a few points that stand out above the rest. On the day of my arrival, Pinkie Pie threw me a wonderful welcome party, one unlike any of the parties that I've attended in Canterlot. There were so many ponies, and up-tempo music, and a wide assortment of foods. I'm certain that I'm not explaining it well enough, but the atmosphere ... it was relaxed and unrestrained compared to our parties, and somehow more ... fun. Or at least fun in a different manner than I'm used to."

"I can only imagine," Celesita said with an amused smile. Her thoughts turned toward the report she'd had about Luna drinking to excess. She could perfectly picture her sister expounding on some seemingly insignificant subject while tipsy, drunkenly grasping for the right polysyllabic words.

Luna excitedly continued, "The next day we visited Applejack's farm. It's rather large, and I must admit that the realities of farm life are vastly different from what one comes to expect by reading books. Who knew that earth ponies did so much walking? But I must admit that the fruits of her labor are well worth it. Perhaps we can discuss adding Sweet Apple Acres to the list of Royal Suppliers in the near future."

"Certainly," Celestia easily agreed.

Luna tilted her head up toward her and revealed her wonderfully unguarded smile. The one that had become so rare as they grew older. "Thank you, Celestia. I know that it would mean so very much to Applejack and her family."

It was moments like this that Celestia wished she could save, to treasure forever. Moments where the sun warmly bathed them, the wind roared around them, coupling with the dizzying heights to separate them from everypony else. Moments when, for an all too short amount of time, Luna was sincerely happy in her presence.

Celestia closed her eyes in contentment, trying to crystallize the moment in her mind. "It does sound like you had an interesting time, Luna."

Her sister's laughter was pure and clean. "I certainly did. Especially when Twilight and I attempted to help Pinkie Pie bake."

Celestia suffered a few abrupt flashbacks, and she quickly opened her eyes, checking Luna once more for injuries, her heart palpitating wildly from long forgotten fear. "I hope nothing untoward happened, or at least there wasn't too much reconstruction that had to be done."

Luna chuckled a bit weakly in embarrassment. "No, not really. We did create a new hole in Pinkie's ceiling, but it was easily mended. I'm afraid the most lasting damage was to my pride. I felt so confident that I could do something as seemingly simple as baking, but I was terribly wrong."

Celestia felt her heart slowing, relieved that her student had made some progress in her culinary skill. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Luna. Causing so little damage, despite cooking with Twilight, shows you're quite a talented chef, I believe."

They lapsed into silence for a moment as Luna mulled over Celestia's words. Deciding the less said about the incident the better, Luna softly continued, "Well, after that, I spent a lot of time with Rainbow Dash and learned quite a bit about how to improve my flying. I also learned much from Fluttershy, though on a drastically different subject. And that led to Twilight and I ..." Luna trailed off with a far away look in her eyes, and after a few moments, a light blush tinged her cheeks.

After waiting a few second, Celestia prompted, "Twilight and you ..."

"W-we had that encounter with Blue Blazer, and you know the rest," Luna hastily explained.

Celestia frowned darkly as she remembered the state she'd found Luna and Twilight in. How bedraggled they had been, how much pain they had been in which she could have prevented, somehow. Rage began to coil through her thoughts, and she quickly pushed it away. Both her sister and protege seemed to have recovered from their brush with danger, and the culprit was safely apprehended and dealt with. But the sobering feelings the memory had brought forth lingered and attached themselves to a growing worry that had taken root in Celesita's mind.

From her words, tone, and reactions concerning Twilight, it was obvious that Luna had come to view the young unicorn as a close friend. There was a certain expression and inflection Luna had when speaking of Twilight, of happiness tempered with longing and a hint of pleasant wistfulness whenever she mentioned her name, which was absent when she spoke of anypony else.

While Celestia was overjoyed to see Luna so animated, so happy and carefree, she couldn't simply stand by and see her sister sow the seeds for a great pain in her future. Of course Celestia was sure that their relationship hadn't progressed beyond close friendship, and likely it never would, but still, there would come a time when Twilight would be ... gone, and Luna would still remain. Celestia didn't enjoy acknowledging the fact of Twilight's mortality, it caused her stomach to drop and for a tight hollowness to create a void in her chest. But at the same time, she knew it was inevitable, and that for friends the loss would be devastating, and for ponies who were more than that, it was soul crushing.

Celestia never wanted her sister to feel pain such as that. If she had her way, Luna would always be laughing, smiling, and enjoying life as much as possible. But it seemed as if despite her best efforts to shield Luna from the unpleasant things in the world, such as ruling an entire kingdom as varied and diverse as theirs, the more unhappy Luna became. Now, with such an obvious cause of monumental grief looming in the distance, Celestia knew she had to warn Luna, to guide her sister away from it and hopefully toward the happiness long denied her.

She allowed herself to bask in the rare moment, when everything seemed almost perfect with the world, for a few seconds more. But Canterlot was quickly growing in the distance, and time was running short. Celestia let out a soft sigh through her nose, and not entirely sure how to begin, hesitantly observed, "Luna, you care for Twilight Sparkle a great deal, don't you?"

Luna bashfully looked away for a moment, her blushing face not quite hidden from Celestia's eyes. But she quickly looked back again and with a simple, guileless smile replied, "Yes. Yes I do. She is the greatest friend anypony could ask for."

With a twinge of worry, Celestia hid her pained grimace. She had to tread carefully, but no matter how delicate she was, she knew that what she was about to tell Luna was going to be painful. "It's wonderful that you're making new friends, and that you and Twilight have grown to be so close. But have you considered that there will come a time when Twilight can no longer be your friend?"

Her face crumpled into confusion, Luna asked, "What do you mean?"

Inwardly Celestia asked herself why this had to be so hard. Outwardly though she calmly explained, "It's just that, you seem to be ... very attached to Twilight. I simply wanted to make sure that before you invest too much emotionally into your friendship, that you realize Twilight is mortal, and one day she will ... no longer be here to return your feelings." Celestia sighed and looked off into the distance. "I just don't want you to be unprepared. I know how bad the pain is when you lose somepony close, somepony special to you, and I don't want to see you hurt again Luna."

Luna had stared at Celestia with a betrayed expression for a few moments, and then her gaze shifted, staring at nothing as her mind worked, her mouth slightly parted in a worried frown. It was painfully obvious to Celestia that Twilight's eventual death and Luna's long life had never entered her sister's thoughts. Now, from the corner of her eye, Celestia watched as Luna's mind began to digest the idea, and began to logically examine all the future scenarios her friendship with Twilight could pursue.

Celestia knew that Luna would need time to acclimate to this new reality, but Canterlot was just a few minutes away, and soon they would be separated by the necessities of court life. Gently she placed a sisterly wing over Luna's shoulder and pulled them closer together. "I'm sorry Luna. I know that it can be a bit jarring, but it's best to think of these things now, to make sure that you don't hurt yourself in the future." Unnerved by Luna's continued silence and general lack of response, Celestia asked with concern, "Luna, I know it's a lot to take in, but are you all right?"

It took a few long moments for Luna to wake from her reverie and when she finally returned to her senses enough to meet Celestia's eyes again, she still had a far-away, haunted expression that pleaded for the world to be a kind place, for Celestia to be wrong. Celestia could feel her heart cracking from her sister's desperation, especially when she heard Luna reply in a small, quiet voice, "Y-yes. Yes. I'm fine. You were correct though, I had not considered ... _that_. I was just thinking about ..." She trailed off as she once more turned her attention to the issue of Twilight Sparkle's eventual death.

Celestia sorrowfully turned her thoughts inward and sighed out, "Yes, I know. But it's something we must think about. We've seen many ponies live and die while we ruled Equestria, and while Twilight Sparkle is one of the brightest of them, she too will grow old and leave us. It's simply a fact of life that we must accept, I'm afraid. I'm sorry, Luna. We're not like other ponies, and while we can have deep, meaningful friendships with them, we must always keep in mind that we can't simply live for the moment as they do. We must always think of the future."

"But isn't there something, anything that we can do?" Luna asked despondently, her eyes searching Celestia's face hopelessly. "Surely there is a spell, a potion, something to lengthen the span of a pony's life. If anypony deserves to live a life as long as ours, it's Twilight. She's no mere dray pony, part of the common herd. She's unique, intelligent, powerful, beautiful. Her fate can not be the same as everypony else's!"

Celestia comfortingly caressed Luna's side with her wing, trying to calm the distraught princess down. "Yes she's an exceptional mare, and one of the most deserving ponies I've come across in centuries. There's been extensive research in the past thousand years, but the spells to push the boundaries of nature are powerful, dangerous, painful magic. Besides which, who are we, Luna, to decide which ponies live longer than they should, while letting other ponies die? We're princesses, not goddesses."

Luna closed her eyes and whispered, "But still, it's not fair."

"No, it's not. It simply is what it is, and we must learn to live with it."

At that moment the royal chariot smoothly landed on one of the palace's terraces. As it rolled to a stop, Celestia examined Luna's sullen face one final time. She expected her sister would be wearing it for some time as she rethought her relationship with Twilight. Celestia's heart was heavy as well, but she schooled her face into a pleasant mask, and looked forward regally.

Awaiting their arrival was a veritable host of ponies. Palace attendants, court officials, and members of the royal guard were all attentively waiting for the return of their princesses. Inwardly Celestia steeled herself for the trials that no doubt awaited her. As her steward and his entourage rushed out to meet them, Celestia had time to look upon Luna with uneasy pity. "I know that this is a difficult truth to accept. But, Luna," hearing her name caused Luna to jerk her head up and meet Celestia's eyes, "Remember that ponies, no matter how important they are, will come and go, but Equestria will always be here, and no matter what, Equestria will always rely on us. I'll see you soon, little sister."

Luna absently murmured, "Yes. Farewell," as Celestia stepped off the chariot and into the waiting crowd of ponies. Immediately she was deluged by a stream of voices, asking her questions about the trip, apprising her of what had happened during her absence, asking her opinion on a wide variety of matters that urgently needed her attention, and a wide variety of other things she didn't have time to process. They herded her away from the sunlit terrace and into the palace. Within seconds she'd lost sight of Luna, and had delved back into her normal world of administration and politics.

As they squeezed through the wide, polished corridors, Celestia focused on what her steward was saying. ... rescheduled to next week, meaning that we have a fairly light afternoon ahead of us."

Celestia had no idea who or what he had been talking about, but she quickly covered for herself by softly replying, "I hope they weren't too upset over having to reschedule."

He beamed up at her, obviously dazzled by her kindness. "Not at all, Your Highness. In fact all your supplicants were all very understanding."

"I'm glad that they weren't too distraught. And what about the ponies that are scheduled to see Luna instead of me, did any of them have any issues with the change?"

"Oh no, not at all, Princess Celestia. In fact there were several ponies who seemed relieved to be presenting their arguments before her, rather than yourself. Especially the ponies from the other side of Equestria who have a difficult time adjusting to a different time zone."

"Excellent. Tell me, you said that we had a fairly light afternoon ahead of us, correct?"

The studious pony quickly checked his notes one more time before he answered, "Yes, Your Highness."

"Then would there be time for me to stop off at my study and freshen up for a bit?"

Although the question had been more of a statement, he quickly replied, "Of course."

With a hint of her true feelings bleeding into her voice, Celestia replied, "Wonderful."

Since they had been on the way to the throne room, it was mere moments until Celestia found herself alone in the sanctity of her study. She gently but firmly closed the door behind her, and before she moved any further into the room, she closed her eyes and breathed out a deep sigh. Much had happened in the past few days, and she hadn't had the time to fully assimilate it all. Even as she rested in her sanctuary, one of the few places she could be alone in the palace, Celestia knew she only had minutes at best until she was interrupted by some problem that only she could resolve.

With that in mind, she opened her eyes and crossed the distance to her desk, where she settled heavily into her well-worn seat. Only then did she allow herself to shiver as she remembered the scene that had greeted her as she stepped through the portal in the Everfree Forest. How weakened and pained Luna had appeared, how close she'd come to losing Twilight, just as they'd begun to rekindle their relationship.

Celestia had thought that she'd already resigned herself to Twilight growing up, becoming older, and eventually leaving her. Although, it still felt as if it had been only yesterday that the awkward, young unicorn had become her student. It was hard sometimes to remember that such a small thing had grown up so quickly. To have her ripped away suddenly, in the prime of her life, caused complicated feelings to crowd Celestia's heart; emotions that she had neither the time nor the inclination to decipher. Instead she turned her thoughts to her sister.

Luna had opened up to her last night, something else Celestia could credit Twilight with, and had revealed just how frightened and isolated she felt. With a frown, Celestia thought back over her words, not just last night's, but all the conversations that she'd had with her sister since Luna's return. It wasn't a very time consuming task.

She'd promised Luna that things would be different after her return, but had they been? Celestia had meant with all her heart to keep her word, but their schedules were just so different, and they both seemed to always be busy all hours of the day. Perhaps that was why Luna had latched so tightly to Twilight, she'd been lonely and Twilight was the first pony to offer her a hoof in friendship.

Thoughts of the relationship between Luna and Twilight naturally led to the advice Celestia had given her sister minutes before. She didn't regret the talk, it was better to have a shock of pain now, rather than let it fester, and become even more painful years later. Still, Celestia felt terrible, not only for causing her sister pain, but for not keeping her word to her. But perhaps she could make it up to her.

With the workload of ruling a kingdom divided between them, Celestia would have more time in her schedule to spend with Luna. If she absolutely had to, she'd just create another holiday and take a vacation to catch up with her sister. She was a princess after all.

For the next few minutes, during the stolen time between duties, Celestia contemplated the picture that Twilight had drawn her comparatively not that long ago, and reminisced about the distant, painful past.

* * *

><p>Luna was lost in a daze. Celestia had disappeared into the palace in the midst of a gaggle of attendants, but her words lingered and reverberated through Luna's mind. Did Celestia suspect the true depths of Luna's feelings for Twilight? Why else would she give Luna such a dire and spontaneous warning?<p>

A small part of her worried how Celestia viewed her relationship with Twilight, but the majority of Luna's mind was occupied by turning over and over the horrifyingly obvious truth that she would long outlive her friend, her love. No matter the outcome of their friendship, whether they remained lifelong friends, became lovers, or even, somehow, bitter enemies, Luna would watch Twilight grow old and fade away, while time would leave her nearly unscathed. She had simply been so occupied by her own insecurities and the crazily twisting emotions that Twilight had led her through, that she'd forgotten all about that simple truth. In a single instant, Luna's happiness had crumbled away, leaving her cold, and alone.

She didn't notice as the guards in the chariot's harnesses snorted and fidgeted, waiting for her to make her exit. Nor did she pay much attention to her own swarm of attendants, only slightly smaller than Celestia's, as they coalesced around the chariot, eagerly awaiting her. She was lost in the twists and turns of her mind, contemplating how just as she'd found Twilight, the world was taking her away, until a tentative hoof lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

Luna refocused on her surroundings and followed the hoof up to the face of its owner, Gimlet Lime. "Princess Luna, are you well?" she asked with sincere concern outweighing her reverence.

Luna knew that she had to compose herself for the sake of her subjects. But, the blow to her happiness, was too fresh, too raw for her to have properly felt the pain, much less to have learned how to mask it. Nevertheless, she tried her best and hollowly replied, "I'm fine, Gimlet. I'm fine."

Gimlet's worried frown only deepened, and her concerned eyes studied Luna closely, but she silently nodded as she stepped back to give Luna room to disembark the royal chariot.

With efficient steps only retarded slightly by her preoccupied mind, Luna stepped down into the nucleus of the small crowd awaiting her. As soon as she'd cleared the chariot, the guard ponies responsible for pulling it lifted off in a rush of snorts and straining tethers, winging off in the direction of the royal stables and a well deserved rest.

Almost immediately Luna was lost amidst a whirl of updates on court life, details on upcoming events, and questions on the validity of wild rumors that were circulating across all of Canterlot. Luna simply let it wash over her as she doggedly steered the group into the palace proper, finding it difficult to even focus on the seemingly important tidbits.

Gimlet's worried frown hadn't left her face, and she loudly interrupted a pony who had been pontificating for some reason on what sounded like the principle of aggregate supply and demand. "You look very tired, Princess Luna. You probably aren't used to being up this time of day, are you?"

Luna gratefully latched onto the easy explanation for her moodiness. "Yes, I am rather fatigued. I would like to rest before night falls. That is, if you all believe that we could postpone this discussion until a later time?" She asked the group at large.

There was a chorus of eager agreement, and the group turned, changing course slightly. One by one ponies split off from the group until by the time that they reached the corridor leading to the royal apartments, only Gimlet Lime remained by Luna's side, even going so far as to slightly breach etiquette by following her all the way to the door of Luna's room.

They paused there for a moment, and Gimlet awkwardly said, "We've been hearing all sorts of strange things about what happened in Ponyville, and why Princess Celestia had to leave so suddenly. Is it true that Captain Blazer tried to hurt you, Princess Luna? Did he really lead an army of secessionists against you, which Princess Celestia had to banish?"

Luna smiled tiredly at how quickly rumors grew out of hoof, and replied, "It's true that Blue Blazer attempted to harm myself and my friends out of a misguided sense of right and wrong, but he acted alone. Don't worry, he's been safely apprehended and will receive the best psychiatric care possible. Meanwhile the only lasting injury he caused me is to my pride." She closed her eyes and sighed. "But his actions were the only stain on my otherwise wonderful trip to Ponyville."

Noticing Luna's somewhat haggard appearance, Gimlet quickly said, "Oh, I'm sorry for keeping you up, Princess Luna. Please go ahead and rest. There will be more than enough time tonight to catch up with what's been happening in Canterlot since you've been gone."

"Thank you Gimlet, and have a good day, I'll see you tonight."

Luna opened her door and slipped through into the darkened room beyond. It closed behind her, and thanks to its solid wood and heavy enchantments, cut off the dull buzz of the palace. She sensed, more than heard Gimlet Lime still standing on the other side for several more seconds before turning away, her soft hoofsteps echoing behind her.

Alone again, Luna stood uncertainly at the entrance to her chambers. Her thoughts and feelings seemed to pull her in a thousand directions, and she couldn't decide on which she should pursue. As she stood there indecisively, Luna looked over the room before her, but of course it looked exactly as she'd left it.

From the perfectly made bed, to the tidily shelved books, to the thick drapes that kept nearly all the daylight out, and even the softly lit lamps for her convenience, it was all carefully cleaned, organized, and maintained by the legion of attendants that at times seemed more at home in the palace than Luna. There was a part of her that was surprised that everything was precisely as she'd left it a week ago. But with a start, she realized that while the world hadn't changed during that time, her perspective of it had.

It was a bit disappointing that there wasn't any physical change to mirror the revelation that had taken place inside of her. But she quickly silenced that corner of her mind, and with a soft sigh, she spurred herself into action. She wasn't going to accomplish anything by simply standing around aimlessly.

Thanks to her time away from palace life, Luna's sleep schedule had been thrown out of balance. And though the sun was still high in the sky, she didn't feel the least bit tired. So instead of heading straight to bed, she drifted over to one of the softly curving walls, which faded away as she approached it.

Automatically a host of soft lights burned to life in the chamber beyond her bedroom, reflecting off of myriads of polished dark tiles and revealing a bathroom fit for a princess. The floor and walls were made of dark blue tiles shot through with veins of gold and silver that resembled stars and distant swirling galaxies, all polished by hoof until they gleamed like sapphires reflecting moonlight. The ceiling was a magically created image of the night sky during a new moon, complete with stars that twinkled, and even streaked from one side of the room to the other on occasion. Nearly an entire wall was taken up by a mirror so large and perfect, that the first time she'd stepped hoof into the room, Luna had thought for several moments that she confronted her doppelganger. Before the mirror were several wide sinks, seamlessly carved into a long, low, onyx counter which held the other amenities common to bathrooms. Delicately scented soaps, creams, and sweetly smelling unguents perfectly lined up next to a mountainous stack of soft and voluminous dark blue towels secured in a shallow basin.

But the feature which truly defined the room was the large tub, a pool really, which was sunk into the center of the floor. In contrast to the rest of the room, it was a lighter shade of blue, the color of the sky just before dawn, and from one slightly rounded rim to the other, it could likely hold the entirety of Twilight's bathroom back in Ponyville.

Thanks to the magic permeating the air, Luna's hoofsteps didn't echo noisily throughout the otherwise empty room. As she disrobed, Luna magically opened the necessary valves, and through several discrete faucets, the bath began filling with steaming rose-scented water. In one corner of the room, there was a vaguely pony shaped stool, and as the bath filled, Luna draped her crown and other accouterments upon it.

After only a few minutes, the rushing, splashing water slowed down into first a trickle, and then stopped completely, leaving the room in silence save for the gentle lapping of the tiny waves against the walls of the bath. Luna walked to the shallow end and tested the temperature with a dainty hoof. The water was only a few pleasant degrees above body temperature, so she slowly eased into the pool, letting the water's soothing warmth spread through her body a little at a time. Soon she was making her way to the deeper end of the bath, and as the water began to approach her withers, she spread her wings out and allowed them to float beside her. In a few more steps they too were submerged, and only Luna's head was still above water, her mane and tail fanning out behind her like shimmering clouds of dark night.

She kicked off lightly from the floor of the bath and floated freely, sighing in contentment as she did. It was a bit like flying, drifting through the water as she was. She could feel the grime of the day soak away, and the warmth of the water ease her weary muscles, penetrating all the way to the roots of her feathers.

As she drifted in the bath, Luna could feel her mind threatening to drift away as well. She dunked her head underwater and allowed the magic infused liquid to work upon her mane. She squeezed her eyes tight and wished that all of her worries would simply disappear. But it was no use. As she burst from the water, gasping for breath, her mane plastered to her forehead and neck, Luna's thoughts turned back toward Twilight, like a lodestone toward the north.

She flipped over onto her back, and continued to drift, staring at the stars in the ceiling with unseeing eyes.

They'd only been separated for a few hours, but already Luna missed Twilight. The way her eyes sparkled when she was excited, the way the breezes would blow her mane to and fro, the way her coat felt pressed against Luna's, or how she was the perfect size to fit in between Luna's hooves. Luna ached to be back with Twilight. Whether in Canterlot, or in Ponyville, it didn't matter, so long as they were together.

But Luna's yearning was tempered by the knowledge that Twilight only saw her as a friend, as well as by the simple truth Celestia had reminded her of. It felt as if Twilight was slipping through her hooves with every passing second. How could Luna pursue a relationship with her when they'd be torn apart so soon? Besides which, what could a pony such as herself offer a pony as wonderful as Twilight?

Certainly she was a princess, ruler over the entire realm of Equestria, and just as importantly, ruler of the night sky. But truthfully where did any of that fit into Twilight's life? Twilight was a modern, self-reliant mare. She had a wonderful and fulfilling life, one she had built herself, and one that was full of friends and love already.

Luna sighed, she wasn't sure how long she had simply floated, letting her mind wander, but the bath was growing cold, or perhaps it was just her mood, and her mane was growing uncomfortably heavy from all the water it had absorbed. She rolled over and swam back to the shallow end, and climbed out of the bath. With a flick of her magic, the drains opened, and the bath water began to silently flow away. With a tilt of her head, and a flare of her horn, she lifted a few towels from the nearby counter. She floated them across the room and began to vigorously rub her mane, tail, and coat dry.

In a few minutes, mostly dry, and pleasantly warm, Luna left two of her towels in a damp tangle behind her while she continued to dry her mane as she strode back into her bedroom. The simple act of rhythmically stroking her mane, lightly tugging on its roots, was soothing. Just as she was beginning to allow herself to succumb to the subtle, relaxing sensation, she was interrupted by a curl of greenish, sparkling smoke that appeared just in front of her. It coiled around itself, until, with a soft pop, it transformed into a scroll tightly bound with a bright ribbon.

Luna froze at the unexpected sight, and only instinct allowed her to catch the scroll before it landed on the thick carpet. With some trepidation she lifted it back up to eye level. It could only be from Twilight. The list of ponies who could send her a letter in such a manner was short, and the list of ponies who would be willing to would was even shorter. In fact, aside from Celestia, there was only one. The faintest hint of Twilight's natural perfume permeating the paper, only slightly masked by Spike's sulfuric scent, confirmed her suspicion.

Twilight had promised to write her, but Luna hadn't expected her to take up her quill quite so soon. With her recent thoughts on Twilight's mortality weighing heavily on her mind, Luna broke the seal on the scroll, while she absently tossed the damp towel away. She unrolled the letter to find Twilight's crisp hoofwriting. Luna settled onto a nearby chaise, and began to read.

"Dear Luna,

This letter will probably surprise you, considering that we just saw each other only a few hours ago, but I just have so very much to say to you. Thanks to your visit, I've learned something about myself that I'd never known before. I'll always be grateful that I met you that day in the library, no matter what the circumstances were that brought me there. I've had a wonderful time getting to know you, getting to know how special and unique you are.

I'm flattered and thankful that you love me as a friend, and I hope that you realize just how much I return your love and friendship. But while I'll always be your friend, I hope that someday your feelings for me will be the same as mine for you.

Although it's been only a few hours, I already miss you and can't wait to see you again. I know we'll have even more fun together, and I'll be able to show you all the parts of Canterlot that I used to call home. I hope that you will write me soon, and I look forward to deepening our friendship and our feelings for one another.

Love Twilight"

Luna happily read through the letter several times before she allowed herself to digest it's contents. For a moment it was almost as if Twilight were with her once more, her bright face chasing away the dark shadows that clouded Luna's mind. When she reached the part about friendship and deepening their feelings for one another, Luna's breath hitched in excitement. For a short while she allowed hope to blossom in her heart. Could it be that Twilight possibly felt for Luna the same love she held for the beautiful unicorn?

While the letter didn't explicitly declare Twilight's feelings, it's sentiments seemed obvious to Luna. Before she'd realized it, she'd half risen from her seat, her thoughts whirling in a thousand directions, the scroll falling unnoticed to the floor. In fact she'd taken a step toward the door when reality came crashing down on her.

As much as she wanted for Twilight to love her, as a mare and not just as a friend, Luna had to ask herself whether it was fair, not only to herself, but to Twilight as well. Twilight's entire life would last only a fraction of Luna's. Didn't Twilight deserve to have a regular life, a regular love, with a stallion or mare who would be able to give her a real family? A pony to live with, to love with, to grow old with?

What could Luna offer her aside from a pony unstuck in time and an insurmountable gulf between her and the common pony? While Luna's emotions were promising her that she would love Twilight, and nopony else, for all eternity, her calmer, analytical mind knew that while her love for Twilight would certainly last decades, if not centuries after she was gone, given enough time, even the most grievous of wounds must heal. It didn't matter how hard you tried to hold onto the pain, to the hurt, simply to remind you how much you loved them, in time the hurt would dissipate, the memories fade. That was perhaps the worst part of living for so long. You not only outlived everypony else, you eventually outlived the memory of them as well.

Luna picked up the fallen letter and carefully placed it on a nearby end table. She turned around, and narrowed her eyes in thought. The the shadows pervading the room, gave her face a somewhat sinister cast as Luna thought to herself. But what if ... What if she could extend Twilight's lifespan to match her own? Surely there was a spell of some type, some magic somewhere capable of granting a pony more time than they were naturally allotted.

She paced around her room while her mind raced through the possibilities, jumping from fantasies of a future perfect life with the mare she loved, to planning out the details of how she would ask Twilight, and of her love's many possible reactions, to mentally searching through her knowledge of the magical world for something, anything, that could point in the direction of some power capable of making Twilight her equal in all things.

Hours passed, and aside from a few brief naps she unknowingly took standing up, rest eluded Luna. That evening, she greeted Gimlet Lime's soft knock with red, burning eyes and a small, determined frown. She cracked open the door and Gimlet cheerfully smiled, before bowing and pleasantly asking, "Good evening, Princess Luna, how was your rest?"

She'd barely finished speaking, and hadn't had time to come out of her bow before Luna curtly replied with urgency, "I need every book, every tract, every scrap of paper, rumor, or whisper that pertains to research on extending a pony's life."

Gimlet was understandably caught rather flat hoofed by the request, after a second's worth of racing thoughts, she blurted out, "Well, there has been a lot of research in the past few years about the benefits of exercise and a proper diet -"

Luna abruptly cut her off. "I don't mean by only a few years. I need a spell that can make a pony live for centuries."

Gimlet regarded her with wide-eyed curiosity, surprise clearly written on her face. But above all else, Gimlet Lime was faithful to her duty, in the role of royal steward, she was the first of Luna's subjects. So she merely nodded her head and replied, "I'll have the royal researchers scour the library, as well as the universities, Your Majesty." Then, with almost a wince, she examined Luna's face with more care, and asked, "Are you certain that you rested enough, Princess Luna?"

Despite feeling rather haggard due to a sleepless day, and the thoughts and doubts which had caused her mind to roil with turmoil, Luna was quickly growing tired of everypony asking her the same questions about how she was feeling. Trying not to sound too snappish, Luna stated, "I'm feeling well enough, Gimlet Lime, thank you for asking. In fact I feel more than ready to face whatever awaits us tonight."

Gimlet's mouth pulled into a tight, disapproving frown, but she bent down to scan through her documents and schedules. As she shuffled her paperwork, a few strands of her mane broke loose, giving her a rather frazzled appearance. She looked up and said, "The night is still young, Princess Luna. In fact it's still daylight out. Instead of beginning court right away, perhaps you would prefer to meet with Princess Celestia for breakfast first; possibly take in the evening air?"

Luna was sorely tempted by the thought of instead, immediately delving into the library in search of a cure for Twilight's mortality, but she feared that if she began her research, she wouldn't be able to stop. Unfortunately she had her duties to attend to, and simply couldn't afford to spend the hours, possibly even days it would take to find an answer.

With regret she sighed and said, "No, thank you Gimlet. I understand that we will be meeting with many ponies tonight. Perhaps we should spend the time before night falls discussing the petitions we shall see later this evening."

"Of course, Your Highness." Gimlet Lime moved back respectfully, and Luna stepped out into the hallway. Behind her the door to her room noiselessly sealed itself as she purposefully began to stride down the hall, Gimlet rushing to catch up to Luna's longer gait. As they drew closer to the rest of the palace, the lighting in the hall grew progressively brighter, until by the time that they'd reached the more public areas, Luna's sensitive eyes had fully acclimated to the bright daylight.

It wasn't too long before a pair of guard ponies fell in behind Luna and her steward. Luna couldn't help but feel a small, niggle of of discomfort at the sight of their ceremonial armor. But their kind, open faces put Luna at ease. Unlike the guards who had been supplied by Blue Blazer, they paid more attention to the path ahead, and their surroundings than to her. They were neither jailers or spies, but protectors.

"So, what scintillating affairs of state will we be attending to tonight?" Luna asked Gimlet as she led them off her normal path, and into parts of the castle less frequented by Celestia.

Gimlet seemed unfazed by the arrival of the guards and paid them no mind as she flipped back through her paperwork, settling on the first page. "The first supplication will be on the possible relocation of a new branch of the Transequestrian Railroad. I'm afraid that it's an issue that must be addressed as soon as possible due to the project having been delayed by a month already. Princess Celestia had planned on hearing their final arguments and making a decision yesterday, but of course she was ... um, unavoidably detained."

Luna nodded in understanding. "I see. And will the supplicants take umbrage to me being their arbiter now, do you think? After all, they will have to re-argue their points before me, so that I'll have enough information to make my decision."

"Oh, I don't think that'll be a problem," Gimlet replied while rolling her eyes with a small laugh. "The ponies involved have been here all week, and they've presented their sides of the story to every pony who'd listen, over, and over. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to go into excruciating detail about the problem for your benefit. In fact, the arguments and discussions are planned to take most of the night."

Luna turned her head slightly to look back at Gimlet incredulously. "All night? Just over the location of some railroad crossties? This hardly seems like an issue on par with international politics. How complex could the decision in question be?"

Five hours, innumerable cups of highly caffeinated tea, and an irritating cramp from sitting in one position too long, later and Luna was aware of just how complex the problem was.

" ... So, as you can see, it's obvious why the new extension of the Transequestrian Line needs to go through Hidden Valley. At the moment it's a one-horse-town, with the rest of the ponies living in the nearby countryside. But with a station on the railway connecting it to the full width and breadth of Equestria, it will turn into a thriving economic powerhouse in no time at all. Besides which, Ranch Point, the mountain that forms part of the shoulder for the valley is at the narrowest section of the Raspberry Vinaigrette, a dangerous and wild river which the railroad must cross somewhere to connect all of Equestria." Summed up a seemingly well off earth pony stallion. His cravat had wilted as the night dragged on, but his gold watch chain still reflected the fiery passion in his eyes as he spoke about the newly formed municipality of which he had recently been elected mayor.

As he paused to sip a glass of water one of his fellows had prepared for him, another stallion's voice spoke up, in a manner which could only be described as crotchety. "Ranch Point might be the shortest gap across the big Raspberrry, but you'll waste ten miles of track to get up all the way to the top of it, just to save a couple of hundred yards downstream."

While the mayor was a mature pony, just on the right side of middle age, Luna wondered whether the other speaker had been alive long enough to have attended her and Celestia's coronation. Whatever color his coat and mane had once been was anypony's guess. Now they were a fine greyish silver and he was squinting so hard it was difficult to tell whether his eyes were still open. His simple, but well cared for clothes were nearly as faded as his coat, but his still muscular frame and firm set to his jaw belied his age. "'Sides which, your plan puts that railroad going smack through the middle of the valley, through near everypony's land, and straight through my kitchen!"

"Don't worry," the mayor of Hidden Valley quickly replied. "Once the plan is approved, we'll be able to declare eminent domain and repay everypony for their property."

"I don't want a few measly bits from the government that'll last me only a few months. I want my farm, I want my land. I want to work it for as long as I can pull a plow, and maybe by then my foal of a son will've gained some sense and I'll pass it on to him."

The mayor raised a hoof and wearily rubbed his temple while sighing. Luna could sympathize, and wished that she had the luxury of copying the maneuver.

"Listen, dad – sir. I know that the ponies of Hidden Valley have traditionally been farmers, living off the land and all that, but times are changing and we need to change with them. Just think about it. With a station in Hidden Valley we could sell our harvest to more markets, ponies all across Equestria could taste the fruits of our labors."

The elder stallion eyed his son with disappointment. "I don't recall you every putting in all that much effort for any fruits. No, you always did like to talk big instead of doing real, honest work. And that's all you're doing now, talking big, so that other ponies will do all the work and you can cash in on it." The older stallion sighed and somehow looked even older, more tired than he had been only a few minutes before, while the younger pony turned his head away and lowered his eyes in pain.

In the silence that followed, Luna turned her attention to the third party in this little drama, a young mare pegasus with her mane pulled into a neat bun, wearing a muted suit against which, her tightly folded wings nearly disappeared.

During the preceding hours, the first side to have argued their case had been the concerned farmers of Hidden Valley led by the old stallion. They had railed against the usurpation of farmland for the space necessary for the railroad. The group of younger ponies, led by the new mayor had just finished their arguments for the betterment of the city by allowing it to become a major hub on the Transequestrian Railway. All that was left was to hear the opinion of the pony responsible for building the railway, and Luna would weigh the issue, then give her decision. In all honesty, both sides had valid points and Luna had yet to make up her mind one way or the other.

"And what does the Equestrian Railway have to say about all this, Miss Tagdirt?" She asked the representative of the railway.

With an impassive face which didn't betray even a hint of what she thought, Miss Tagdirt stepped forward to address Luna, "To be quite honest, Your Majesty, it makes little difference to us whether we build the railroad through Hidden Valley, or continue on its current course and cross the Raspberry Vinaigrette ten miles south. Both paths have their advantages and disadvantages. There is no station or rest stop for twenty miles on either side of the Raspberry, and it would be nice to have a place to rest, in case the engine broke down and the crew had to pull the train. However, as Mr. Ranch pointed out, in order to reach the summit of Ranch Point, we would have to extend the railway several miles with switchbacks in order to assure the grade isn't too extreme. But we wouldn't have to build a suspension bridge quite as long as what we would have to further downstream."

She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts, her eyes beginning to blaze with a fierce passion. "To put it plainly, Princess Luna, I can put this railroad wherever you want it. It will stretch across the whole of Equestria, in time connecting all the cities, towns, and villages. What are mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, when measured against the steel of pony muscle and the strength of pony brains? My only concern right now is that the finest crew of steel driving ponies in all Equestria is sitting idle on their hooves while we stand here and debate over a few meager miles. Before we reached this point we were laying fifteen miles of track a day. Give me the word, Princess Luna, Your Majesty, and we'll build you the greatest railroad the world has ever known!"

Miss Tagdirt's chest was heaving from her impassioned speech, and a few drops of sweat ran from her maneline down the side of her face. Even her wings had spread and had become ruffled as she'd strode back and forth in front of the throne, full of energy and zeal. As she returned to Equestria, recollecting just where she was, she coughed awkwardly and attempted to nonchalantly unruffle her feathers.

Luna found it difficult to imagine anypony being so worked up about a railroad, but she could certainly admire the other mare's single-minded dedication to such a large project, one that would impact the lives of ponies for generations to come. As she thought more upon it, perhaps it wasn't so strange that a pony would get so worked up over something so monumental.

Luna had been minutely shifting on the throne, discretely, but it was difficult to find a comfortable position. Now that all eyes had turned from Miss Tagdirt to her, awaiting her pronouncement on the matter, Luna leaned back into the throne, hopefully appearing as wise, regal, and omniscient as Celestia did when she sat in judgment.

Honestly, this problem was rather more complicated than she'd expected it to be. In addition, all those cups of tea had begun making themselves known for the past half hour or so. Luna frowned and rested her chin on her hoof contemplatively. With deliberate gravity she proclaimed, "The hour grows late, and we've heard the arguments from all the parties involved. Let us take a short recess as I meditate upon the problem, and I will deliver my decision when we reconvene."

Most of the ponies, the guards and attendants especially, smiled at each other with relief at Luna's pronouncement. The entourages of the three factions began discussing the matter amongst themselves again, creating a low buzz of conversation. The guards threw open the doors, allowing a breeze of cool night air to blow through the stifling hall, made almost uncomfortably warm by the heat of so many ponies' bodies.

Only three ponies didn't look entirely thrilled to have a respite. Tagdirt frowned in annoyance as she turned to confer quietly with one of her colleagues about a sheaf of papers they'd brought to her attention. The mayor of Hidden Valley gazed up at Luna with equal parts hope and fear, while his father watched him with sad eyes, made heavy by disappointment. Luna tried her best to appear aloof as she swept down off the throne and out a conveniently placed door leading into the more private areas of the palace.

Several minutes later, Luna sighed as she regarded herself in the mirror of one of the palatial restrooms contemplatively. Her eyes and her concentration weren't really on her reflection though, so much as on the problem that had been presented to her. On the surface it was simple, build a railway bridge across a river, either at a point approximately in line with the shortest route between two major population centers, or a few miles upstream, adding a few more minutes to the journey, but allowing for a rest area as well. Underneath the simple facade, the realities of the project grew more complicated.

The town that wished for the railway to detour through it rested in a valley rich with fertile soil and climbing terraces of farmland. While the railway was merely two thin strips of steel on a bed of wooden raisers, the material needed to level and grade the rails, and the easement necessary for the tracks would all leave a sizable scar on the landscape for years to come. As eager as the ponies of the town of Hidden Valley were for a station and the growth in economic prosperity that would come from it, the farmers of Hidden Valley seemed just as determined to have as little to do with the train and the destruction of the way of life it heralded as possible. In addition was the fact that this seemed to touch upon a generational family quarrel, something that Luna could sympathize with.

Perhaps the son viewed this as his chance to prove to his father that the old methods were not the only ways to make a living. Or maybe he just wanted to make his father proud of him by proving that he could make Hidden Valley more prosperous than ever before. At the same time, the elder Ranch did have a point, farming was the cornerstone not only of their community, but of the Equestrian economy as a whole, it was the foundation of modern pony life. Not everypony could, or should be a merchant. But on the other hoof, there had been great advancements in magic and technology since Luna's former heyday and it took far fewer ponies than ever before to produce more food than previously possible. Not everypony should be a merchant, but neither should everypony be a farmer.

Luna sighed again. Truly it was a difficult situation, and no matter which way she ruled, the future of one small part of Equestria would be altered for generations to come. With the arrival of a train station, and the ponies that would come with it, did the tiny little town have the potential to become another Manehatten? Or if the railway didn't move, would it whither away into nothingness? Or perhaps, would that allow the farmers to spread their farms even wider, providing more fruits and vegetables for all Equestria? Or would the new station encourage them to leave their homes in search of greener pastures elsewhere, actually causing the town to shrink? What's more, what if the depot was built, and the farmland spoilt, and the expected boom in ponies coming to visit didn't occur. Or what if the railway bypassed the town, but for one reason or another, the farms in the valley became unprofitable?

It should have been simple for Luna to make a decision such as this, yet she couldn't seem to settle on an answer for fear of misstepping and ruining the lives of innocent ponies. Which was the correct choice? Luna knew there was no right or wrong answer, but still the decision was difficult. What would be wonderful if there was some way to choose a middle ground, to mitigate the outcome of the decision if it went poorly, but if it were that simple, the ponies involved would likely have simply solved it themselves, rather than seeking out mediation from a princess.

Luna's eyes felt puffy and they burned from her having been up for so long. She turned on one of the faucets and splashed some cold water on her face to soothe it. The water's briskness helped drive away a bit of her drowsiness. She lifted up one of the nearby towels and brusquely rubbed her face dry, putting careful pressure on her eyes, momentarily relieving some of the burn. She more-or-less refolded the towel, and focused on her appearance, making sure that her face didn't betray her weariness, but only projected a cool, calm, collected aura worthy of a princess. Luna steeled herself and nodded to her reflection before making her way back to the throne room.

All the ponies with a vested interest in the matter had already returned to the throne room and were eagerly awaiting her appearance. In terse, anxious silence, they knelt and watched Luna as she climbed up to the throne, her tail acting as a starry train. With unconscious poise and grace, Luna turned, taking her place as the ruler of all Equestria, and regarded the ponies in the throne room with a benevolent gaze. "You all may rise."

As the assembled ponies all regained their hooves, Luna struggled against the urge to rub her aching eyes once more. Instead she turned her impartial gaze upon Tagdirt and asked, "Miss Tagdirt, you've said that technically it made little difference whether the railway went through Hidden Valley or further south. But are those the only two locations the railroad can cross the Raspberry Vinaigrette?"

Tagdirt frowned and tilted her head in thought. Slowly she replied, "No, there are one or two spots even further south, but it would make little sense to use them. It would only add an unnecessary length to the trip, and there's not town near either crossing to make the detour worthwhile."

Luna nodded sagely and paused for a few moments to mull over the additional information. She then turned her attention to the mayor and asked him, "Just how firm is your belief that this railroad will bring prosperity to Hidden Valley?"

The mayor snapped a quick look of confusion toward the ponies behind him, before his impassioned eyes met Luna's. " I believe it with all my heart, Your Majesty. Enough to make the journey all the way to Canterlot to make my case. Enough to alienate many of my friends and family. Farming has been the lifeblood of Hidden Valley for generations, but this railway will be the engine of change that will allow us to step hoof onto the world stage. Our goods, our name, will reach all across this great land, and ponies everywhere will come to love it as much as I do."

Luna tilted her head slightly, to acknowledge the obvious passion behind his words. But, without saying anything, her eyes moved to the elderly stallion. He had taken a seat on the cold throne room floor, slightly hunched over, his face wrinkled heavily in thought as he regarded his son. Feeling Luna's eyes upon him, he turned to look up at her, but she could tell he had little hope left. Soon his eyes fell slowly back down the throne, and trailed across the floor until they rested upon the mayor once more.

"You make a fine speech, boy. And you paint a real pretty picture too. But what's in a name if there's nothing behind it? Oh sure, everypony's heard of Manehatten or Fillydelphia, but when you go there, what do you find? Nothing but cold stone buildings and even colder ponies. Every city's the same son, they just have different street names."

He sighed heavily. "I remember when I was just a colt, no higher than my daddy's knee, Fillydelphia grew some of the finest peaches you ever tasted. They were sweeter than honey, and rosier than the dawn. But now you go there and where are the orchards? Buried under cement buildings, paved over by cobblestone streets with names like Orchard Way and Peach Circle. Is that what you want Hidden Valley to turn into? A cold, heartless city where the hills have been flattened, the valleys filled in, with buildings packed so closely together you can scarcely breath?"

As he'd spoken, the older stallion had slowly come to his hooves, and had stalked toward his son. Now it was the mayor's turn to wilt under the heat of inflamed passion. He took a few steps back, away from his father, while looking around uncertainly.

"Well, no, I don't want that ..." He bumped into one of his supporters, who gave him a disappointed frown and cut a withering gaze at the older stallion. The mayor seemed to gain some confidence, and the puffed out his chest. "And it won't be like that. Hidden Valley can grow without destroying what we already have."

"How? Anypony can try and design a city, but it's like planning a foaling. It'll never go the way you think it will, it'll be messy, somepony'll be crying, and when all's said and done, you can't put the foal back."

As much as Luna was entertained by the colorful simile, she felt she needed to interrupt. Gently, she cleared her throat, demanding silence. With everypony's attention captured, she regarded the mayor once more, who was almost nose to nose with his father. "I seem to recall it being said that your town is still young and small, is that correct?"

The mayor backed up slightly and looked up at her uncertainly. "Yes?"

An idea had been formulating in the back of Luna's mind, one that was a bit outrageous, but possibly one that might answer the needs of both the parties involved. Slowly she said, "Gentlecolts, I have a suggestion, if you'd like to hear it." Without waiting for a reply, she continued, "It appears to me that there is a symbiotic cycle between the city and the countryside. The farms of course produce food and other goods, which are then consolidated at and transported from the city, which is where wealth in the form of bits and manufactured goods arrive at as well, which are then in turn distributed to the farms. Optimally it would be best to have both the farms of Hidden Valley, as well as the town, thrive. Therefore I propose that we move the town of Hidden Valley."

It took a moment for Luna's suggestion to permeate through the throne room, but as it did, shocked gasps and hurried murmuring followed in its wake. The mayor of Hidden Valley looked as if he'd just been poleaxed, while his father and Miss Tagdirt seemed to be withholding their judgment and merely looked on questioningly.

"E-excuse me?!" the mayor sputtered out, only belatedly adding a "Your Majesty."

Luna took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself to explain her position. "I know the solution might be rather unconventional, but I believe when weighing the various circumstances of this issue, it's the most logical outcome. The nature of Hidden Valley seems to be such that any railroad that would go through it would necessarily spoil it to at least some extent. In order to preserve as much of the farmland as possible, we need to minimize the amount of railway that enters the valley. However, at the same time, it is important to create a center where the produce grown in the valley can be collected and then distributed from across the length of the Transequestrian Railroad.

"Therefore, I feel that the railroad should cross the Raspberry Vinaigrette in the location it was originally planned to, but create a spur that would serve Hidden Valley by having a terminal at the beginning of the valley. The town of Hidden Valley could be moved to where the spur met the main railroad and would serve not only as a rest point on the Transequestrian Railroad, but as a distribution point for the rest of the valley as well. Of course the additional expense of moving the town, building the spur, and any other necessary deviations from the original plan would be funded by the crown."

The mayor still appeared flabbergasted. "But you can't just move a city!" he cried out.

Luna cocked an eyebrow and archly asked, "Why not? While I'm sure there would be some sentimental attachments to the current location, physically it should not be all that difficult. Either construct new buildings, or disassemble the current ones and move them."

"But ... but-"

Luna sighed. "Mayor Ranch, I'm offering you and your compatriots the chance to prove yourselves and your ideas. You are willing to gamble on the railroad bringing new prosperity to Hidden Valley, but at the moment you are playing with the lives ponies who don't wish to take that leap of faith with you. Ponies whose property, whose families, would be irreparably harmed if your gamble does not pay off. By moving the town, the valley will be left as it is, but the town will be given the chance to either thrive or stagnate on its own.

"If you're firm in your beliefs, if you know that Hidden Valley with become a success by becoming linked with the Transequestrain Railway, then I feel that asking you to move the town should prove to be only a small hurdle."

The mayor had grown silent and thoughtful. He shot a glance back at his followers, then over at his father. Finally, he looked back up to Luna, and it seemed as if he'd aged years in the span of only a few seconds. The mantle of responsibility rested heavily upon him.

"Your Majesty, please give me a few minutes to discuss this with my fellow ponies from Hidden Valley."

Luna nodded magnanimously and replied, "Of course."

With slow steps and bowed shoulders, lacking the confidence he'd had before, the mayor walked back to the crowd of his fellow town dwelling ponies, and soon a flurry of hushed whispering broke out amongst them.

As the townsponies debated their fate, every now and then one raising their voice just enough to be audible, Luna magically lifted up a teacup from the service that had been discretely placed next to the throne. One of the many advantages of being a princess was to always have a hot cup of perfectly prepared tea at hoof. She blew the steam from it, allowing the tea to rest, and cool a bit, while she contemplated her decision. It most likely wasn't the one that Celestia would have come up with, but it seemed to Luna like the most equitable solution to the problem. Hopefully, if the ponies followed her plan, both the town and the countryside would prosper without having to destroy each other.

Luna was on the cusp of finishing her third cup of tea, and could feel the beginnings of the cramp in her croup returning, when the quiet conversation ceased. None of the ponies huddled together looked very happy, least of all the mayor when he stepped out of the throng and approached the group of farm ponies led by the elder Ranch.

Not quite willing to meet his father's eyes, the mayor asked, "And what do you think of all this ... dad?"

The older pony frowned in thought and replied, "Well, I guess it'd take a while getting used to turning left to get to town, instead of going right. But I don't usually make it to town but once a month or so, so I can't say that I'm all too concerned about which way it is." He turned his head and called out over his shoulder, "What d'y'all think?"

The ponies behind him all spoke out at once, all reflecting his mellow tones of acceptance. Although, there was one voice which rose above the others, "What'll the cows think?"

Ranch turned back to his son, loudly answering, "I think the cows'll figure it out without too much trouble. Son, I think this choice is up to you and all the ponies who live in town. For what it's worth though, I think the princess has a pretty good idea. Hay, you only got what, ten whole buildings in town? Move Swizzle's general store, and Sneed's Seed and Feed, and that's half the town right there."

The mayor nodded unhappily at his father's words, and gave the rest of the ponies in his camp one last questioning glance before he turned to face Luna. "Your Majesty, I – we, the ponies of the town of Hidden Valley, accept your decision, and your challenge. We'll move our town, and make it prosper as nopony's ever done before. Soon the name of Hidden Valley will be spread across Equestria."

"Excellent. The royal bursary will coordinate with you to cover all of your necessary expenses." Luna turned her attention to the ponies representing the railroad. "And you, Miss Tagdirt, I believe that you now have a plan to proceed with. Please keep us updated with your progress."

Miss Tagdirt's face broke into a broad smile, and she exuberantly replied, "Yes ma'am! Your Highness, thank you, with your leave, I'll let my ponies know right away!" With a cheerful bounce that was in stark contrast to her conservative appearance, she unfurled her wings and darted out of the open doorway leading to the throne room. Her assistants made embarrassed, apologetic bows to Luna, and with as much decorum as possible, hurried out after their eager superior.

Luna regally overlooked the breach of etiquette and gazed upon the rest of the ponies still assembled before her. "If everypony is satisfied with the outcome of this petition, then I declare this session to be over."

All the ponies in attendance bowed low, and then began to make their way out of the throne room. The elder Ranch walked over and put a comforting hoof on his son's shoulder, and gave him some words of encouragement. They walked out together, both the groups of ponies they had led filed out after them, merging into a single herd.

Once she saw the last of the ponies disappearing from the throne room, leaving her alone with her guards and courtiers, Luna allowed her royal veneer to crumble slightly and wearily rubbed her brow with a tired hoof. By the position of the moon, Luna could tell that most of the night had passed, and dawn was only an hour or so away. Seldom did the nights feel quite so long.

The sounds of muffled hoofsteps and fluttering paper heralded Gimlet Lime's arrival, and without opening her eyes, Luna commented, "Well, for better or worse, that's over. For now at least."

"For what it's worth, Princess Luna, I feel that it was a unique and well thought out solution. It likely is the best compromise that could be hoped for under the circumstances."

Luna let out a tired laugh. "I was once informed that a good compromise was painful for all parties involved." With a sigh she opened her eyes and straightened up, giving herself a small shake to get back into the princess mindset. "At least this decision probably won't come back to haunt me for a few hundred years or so."

There was a ghost of a smile curing Gimlet's lip as she studied her assorted documents. "There is that, Your Highness." She cleared her throat, and in a somewhat more serious tone said, "The Hidden Valley station situation was scheduled to take up most of our time tonight, but if you'd like, we could go over the introduction to the next petition."

"No, not tonight, Gimlet. The hour grows late, and truthfully I'm much too tired to give the details of the next matter at hoof the consideration it deserves."

Gimlet Lime looked up at Luna with concern. "Then, do I have your leave to bring tonight's court to a close?"

"Yes, please do," Luna said with a slightly dismissive wave of her hoof.

The throne room seemed almost as tired as Luna. It almost felt as if it breathed a sigh of relief as the lights illuminating it dimmed, and as the last of the night's occupants filed out through the doors. For a little while, at least before the morning staff arrived to prepare it for Celestia's arrival, the throne room slept in uninterrupted silence.

As Luna and Gimlet strode through the door leading into the palace, Luna paused and addressed the closer of the two guards who flanked the doorway. With a slight dip of her head she said, "Thank you, for staying with me the whole night."

The young colt stood up straighter and while he didn't even turn his eyes in her direction, his cheeks flushed as he loudly replied, "I-it was our honor, ma'am, um, I mean, Your Highness!"

Luna smile tiredly. "Thank you nonetheless. I hope that you and the rest of the guards all have a good morning, and get plenty of rest. You've all earned it."

"Thank you, ma – Your Highness!" he nervously half-shouted.

Luna gave both the guards a final polite node before moving on again, leading Gimlet back into the more private areas of the palace. In the hall leading to the throne room was a pony of slight build who was in the midst of placing a heavy stack of papers on a small table. He dropped into a hasty and low bow at the sight of Luna, nearly scattering the stack of papers across the hall's floor. But before he could, they were plucked out of the air by Gimlet's magical grasp, and quickly, neatly shuffled and sorted. Gimlet simply added them to the stack of papers already suspended before her, and she began to read through them as they continued on, leaving the still prostrate pony in their wake.

Gimlet rapidly flipped through the pages and summarized for Luna, "It appears that there have been a a few possible results about the matter you asked to be researched earlier, Princess Luna. The researchers are still looking further into the archives, but they've already found some promising research papers and manuscripts, which they've had delivered to your room."

Honestly, Luna was so exhausted that she simply felt numb. Nevertheless, she tried for a wane smile. "Thank you, Gimlet, I'll look into them the first opportunity I have."

Gimlet looked up from her papers, and slowed her pace, causing Luna to shorten her stride to keep up with her. "Princess Luna, are you certain you're feeling -"

"Oh, Luna, there you are," Celestia's chipper voice rang out, inadvertently cutting off Gimlet Lime.

Luna had been steeling herself to once again fend off another pony's concern, and with dull surprise, turned to find her sister in all her glory approaching from the opposite direction. "Celestia, what are you doing here? Isn't it still somewhat early for you to be awake?"

Celestia came to a stop in front of them. "Well, normally yes, but I wanted to come and see you, and hear about how your night went. I also thought that it would be fun to enjoy the morning outside for a change. Won't you come and join me for a breakfast picnic out in the garden?"

The sight of Celestia had brought to the forefront of Luna's mind unwanted memories and unasked for truths. Combined with her fatigue, she was far from feeling up to spending time with her sister. "Actually, I'm feeling rather fatigued after tonight's court. I believe that I'll skip this morning's meal and retire."

Luna moved to get around Celestia, but the older princess stepped in her way, and kindly nodded to Gimlet Lime. Gimlet took the hint and quickly withdrew with a polite bow, and a murmured, "Excuse me, Your Highness."

Celestia turned her full attention upon Luna and warmly asked, "Oh, was court that difficult? Let me at least walk with you back to your bedroom, and you can tell be all about it."

In truth, Luna didn't have any real reason for her slight, inexplicable resentment she felt for Celestia. Besides which, perhaps it would make her feel better to discuss things with somepony else who could understand the burden of making difficult and far-reaching decisions. Celestia turned down the hall and glanced back at her invitingly. Wwith only a moment's hesitation, Luna silently took up her offer and began walking back to her room, Celestia's comforting bulk by her side.

Luna felt a bit guilty for not having welcomed her sister with open hooves. After all, she was merely the messenger of the inevitable issues pursuing a life with Twilight would entail. She had nothing but the best interests of them both at heart. So to bury her unkind thoughts away, Luna resolved to put the matter aside and focus on being closer with her sister. "I fear that tonight wasn't my finest hour," she admitted.

"Oh? How so?"

"I had before me a simple decision to make, and I'm afraid that I let my uncertainty complicate the matter until it had grown out of all reasonable proportion. Even now, I'm unsure whether I made the right choice."

"Why don't you tell me the whole story. This sounds like it's bothering you a great deal." Celestia gave Luna a slight bump. Luna had been thinking over the past few hours so heavily that she'd begun to go down the wrong path. But thanks to Celestia's nudge, she was put back on the proper course.

"Simply put, there was a disagreement about the placement of a bridge for the expansion of the Transequestrian Railway."

"Yes, I think I skimmed over the case before," Celestia replied a bit slowly, her eyes turned upward in remembrance. "But I'm afraid that I don't quite remember the details."

"Well, the ponies constructing the railway seem ambivalent as to where the crossing should go. Although, their representative did seem quite eager to reach a decision, any decision, so long as she could return to work. The true issue was raised by the ponies of Hidden Valley. The ponies living in the town there were quite adamant about having the railway go through their town so that they could have a train depot and the economic gains that stem from such a thing. However, the ponies who live in the valley surrounding the town felt that the railroad would irreparably harm their farmlands."

"Ah, so it was a disagreement between country and city ponies, and which way of life is better."

Luna nodded slightly. "It was in part, but there was more to the arguments on both sides as well." As Luna instinctively followed Celestia, they passed through a pair of glass doors and into the cool night air. "This decision will impact the ponies of that region for generations to come. By diverting the railway through the town, the countryside unique to the region would be forever ruined. By not diverting it, the town would have a difficult time ever growing much larger."

Celestia thought over the mater for a moment before asking, "So, which of these future did you choose?"

"Neither. I tried to compromise. The town of Hidden Valley is still quite small, so I asked them to move it."

"You what?!" Celestia asked with a laugh of disbelief. For the first time during their conversation, she showed some emotion other than calm acceptance.

Under her sister's shocked eyes, Luna wilted slightly, and explained, "Well, I asked them to move it a few miles south, to where the railway was originally planned to run. Then there would be a spur connecting the rest of the valley to the town, so everypony should be satisfied. The town will have their train station, while the rest of the valley won't have a railroad going through their farmland. If the town's ponies truly believe that a train depot is necessary for their town to grow, then they should be able to make the effort to move in order to make it a reality."

Celestia tilted her head away and commented, "That is a rather ... interesting solution, Luna."

"But was it the right one?" Luna asked quietly.

They had come to a stop in the midst of an open space in the middle of the royal garden, a large blanket, covered with a wide variety of foods, spread out perfectly over the manicured grass at their hooves. For the first time, Luna paid attention to their surroundings, and cast about in confusion. "When did we come to the gardens?"

"We must have gotten turned around somewhere," Celestia pleasantly replied. "But, since we're here, we might as well go ahead and eat. As for whether your choice was the right one ... In matters such as these, there isn't always a clear answer that's better than the others." Celestia settled down on an empty portion of the blanket between what appeared to be a large creme brulee and several pies.

Luna was far from satisfied with Celestia's answer, and reluctantly settled down on an empty corner of the blanket only when her sister had nodded at it. "But what choice would you have made in that situation? What would you have done differently?"

With an almost placid calmness contrasting Luna's exhaustion fueled desperation, Celestia leaned over and perused a cloth covered basket as she considered her sister's question. In time she answered, "It doesn't matter what I think I would have done in your position. I wasn't there, and it wasn't my decision to make. Your solution isn't bad, it isn't good, it's simply yours. Of course, that's not to say that it's impossible to make a mistake. It's the unintended consequences that makes all our choices difficult ones. But so long as we carefully and thoroughly examine the problem, we can try our best to guide everypony to the best solution. However, there will always be circumstances beyond our control, for both good and bad. When they turn out bad for our ponies, it is our duty to repair things, and when they turn out to be good, well, it's easy to look prophetic, all it takes is time. Bagel?"

Luna cocked her eyebrow in confusion at Celestia's non sequiter until she saw the proffered baked good hovering between them.

"No, thank you, I'm not feeling all that hungry at the moment."

Celestia shrugged and magically picked up a muffin, which she proceeded to butter. "All things considered, I think it will turn out well. The farms in Hidden Valley will continue to thrive, and the town of New Hidden Valley will prosper economically. Probably."

"I hope so," Luna replied with a downward glace. Under her nose she found a scone bespeckled with blueberries and sugar that didn't seem like it would upset her stomach. She held it aloft and delicately nibbled on it.

They ate in silence until Celestia smiled and breathed in deeply through her nose. "Ah, it feels good to wake up early sometimes. The air this time of day is so invigorating. I think it's going to be a wonderful day, don't you?"

Luna looked up with a hint of confusion. "I don't believe we're scheduled to have rain today, so I would assume so."

Celestia chuckled in response. "It doesn't matter whether it rains or not. A day can be wonderful regardless of weather. No matter what happens today, right now I'm happily spending time with my favorite sister, and that means that the rest of my day will be great."

Luna blushed and ducked her head slightly at the compliment. "While I'm glad that I'm your favorite sister, I can't help but feel that the field is a bit narrow. Pray tell, who is your least favorite sister?"

Celestia hummed and pretended to think for a few seconds before she playfully replied, "I'm afraid I don't have one. They're all my favorite."

Luna snorted in amusement at the cop-out and then felt a familiar tugging through her body. Bemusedly she looked east and commented, "It seems it's time."

In the periphery of Luna's vision, Celestia's head had also turned toward the distant horizon. "Yes, it is."

The air around them was alive and thick with magic, and Luna could swear that she felt an almost incandescently warm glow radiating from Celestia. She closed her eyes and began to channel her power, pulling back the starry sky and lowering the moon as Celestia's morning painted the edge of the world a rosy hue. Soon the sun was pouring its light across the mountains and tall towers, shrinking the shadows and chasing the black sky into indigo and eventual blue as it climbed into the morning.

Luna could feel its warmth on her face and opened her eyes. The yellow-white rays of the sun had just struck a nearby domed building made of glass, connected to the palace by a short walkway. The glass panels that made up the many facets of the building acted as giant prisms, refracting the sun's light and breaking it into thousands of shimmering rainbows.

Her curiosity piqued, and their morning duties finished, Luna pointed out the building with a hoof and asked, "I've never noticed that building before, what function does it serve?"

"Oh that? That was a gift a few decades ago. Actually, a few centuries now, I suppose. It was during the start of another artistic revolution and some ponies decided that the palace needed a 'modern' addition to 'confront and abolish antiquity while boldly cantering into the future.' Originally it was meant to be a ballroom, but unfortunately it's too small to hold the larger parties such as the Grand Galloping Gala, and it heats up rather quickly once the sun is out. It is quite pretty though."

Luna was silent for a few moments as she imagined what the view must be like from inside the crystal dome when the stars were out in full force. "Do you ... do you think that I may use it? Since it doesn't seem like it's occupied all that often?"

With obvious surprise, Celestia answered, "Of course you may, Luna. But what exactly are you thinking of using it for?"

Honestly Luna had only a seed of an idea sending out fragile tendrils, but while it was still fresh and exciting, she explained, "I think it could make a marvelous throne room. Not during the day, as you said, the sun would make it far too uncomfortable. But just imagine it at night, with the moon and stars shinning above. I'm sure it would be positively magical."

Celestia regarded the building in question thoughtfully. The sun had risen higher in the sky, and it was no longer scattering rainbows across the garden. The dome still had a timeless beauty about it, but now it seemed less like the glittering backdrop of a dream, and more like a polished jewel, cut to perfection and set in place amongst the rest of the palace like a diamond in an engagement ring. "If I remember correctly, it is quite impressive at night, and if you'd like your own throne room, you shall certainly have it." She smiled bemusedly down at Luna. Her smile turning radiant as an idea came to her. "I'm sure that it will take at least a few weeks to convert a ballroom into a throne room, and you'll no doubt have much to say about how it's laid out and decorated. How about we use it to host one final ball, to celebrate your new throne room, and your new night court. We could have it when Twilight and all your other friends are here."

At the mention of Twilight, Luna's heart soared, but just as quickly sank, and her mood soured. She attempted to keep the emotion from her face by turning away from Celestia, but her voice and gone flat as she answered, "Yes, that does sound like it would be quite enjoyable. I'm sure that such a party would delight everypony, especially Rarity and Pinkie Pie."

"Are you all right?" Celestia asked with concern tinging her voice, trying to catch Luna's eyes again.

Luna sighed and replied, "Yes. I'm just weary. As I've said, it has been a long, long night."

"Then we should get you off to bed. I'm sorry for keeping you up so late, but I wanted to spend a little more quality time with you."

"It's fine, Celestia," Luna said as she rose, giving Celestia a reassuring look over her shoulder. "This morning was ... nice."

Celestia's mask slipped for a moment, and her relief was apparent. It was only for a second, and by the time she'd climbed to her hooves, she had returned to her normal self. Silently she escorted Luna all the way back to her chambers. They paused before the thick doors decorated with the starry night, and after opening it, Celestia said partingly, "I'll see you this evening when you wake, Luna."

Perhaps overwhelmed by her weariness, Luna acted upon a sudden impulse and leaned heavily against Celestia, nuzzling her and replying in a tired voice, "I love you, big sister."

Celestia's body went rigid for a moment, as if a wild animal had just offered itself up to be petted, but she quickly relaxed into the embrace and leaned down to nuzzle the spot just behind Luna's ear in return. "And I love you. Now, go to sleep and rest well. I'll see you tonight." She lightly kissed the top of Luna's mane and gently ushered her into her room.

The door silently closed on Luna, dimming the darkened room even further. She maneuvered past the new stacks of scrolls and books left out for her perusal. As much as she wanted to dive into them immediately, it would be worse than useless to try and do research in her current state. Instead she pulled off her royal vestments, and let them fall where they would. She then crashed into her bed, and her final thought before being overcome by a long delayed slumber was that she really needed to answer Twilight's letter soon.

* * *

><p>"... And done." Twilight declared as she finished her letter with a final flourish of her quill. While waiting for the ink to dry, she gave it a cursory scan to make sure that this one was perfect. She hoped it wasn't too desperate, or if Luna liked desperate, that it was desperate enough. It was obvious that she'd written it in a hurry, but the hoofwriting was still acceptable in her opinion. Although, some of the y's were a bit too long and trailed into the line below. Did that make it too hard to read? Should she write the letter again? Maybe a few more times to have a wide sampling so that she could choose the one that was closest to perfection.<p>

A part of her knew that perhaps she was over-analyzing things just a tiny bit, so, before she could continue to scrutinize the letter, she rolled it into a tight cylinder and sealed it with a dark ribbon carrying an echoing whisper of Luna's now familiar magic. She brandished it aloft as she hurried upstairs to her bedroom, intent to send it off before she had time to further second guess herself.

As she approached the door, she slowed down, and resisted the urge to simply burst in. Instead, she tried her best to quietly open the door and found the room beyond dark, the curtains drawn.

Softly she called out, "Hey, Spike, are you feeling any better?" Without waiting for a reply she pushed through the door and cautiously delved deeper into the darkness.

There was a suggestion of movement from the basket at the foot of her bed, accompanied by a pained groan as Spike sat up and blearily peered at her. "I'm never going to eat ice cream again. At least not chocolate. Maybe strawberry." He eagerly added, "Actually, I think some strawberry ice cream would help settle my stomach." He suddenly raised a hand up to his mouth as his cheeks bulged, and Twilight stepped back, prepared to catch anything with her magic, if necessary. But after a few moments, Spike's attacked seemed to pass. He closed his eyes and laid back down as he murmured, "then again, maybe not."

Crisis averted, Twilight ventured closer to his sickbed. "Honestly, Spike," she said as she waved the scroll scoldingly at the young dragon. "Can't you at least wait until you're feeling better before you go making yourself sick again?"

"But it wasn't my fault, Twilight. How could I say no to an eating competition with a bunny? I mean he's so tiny, where can he put it all?" Spike asked, with his arms thrown out as if asking somepony to actually answer his question. "And who knew that Fluttershy had like fifty gallons of chocolate ice cream? I'm the victim in all of this." He grumped as he crossed his arms.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "The only victim here is poor Fluttershy, it was her ice cream you guys ate. And I don't have much sympathy for a dragon that stuffed himself trying to out-eat a bunny. You brought this on yourself, Spike."

"Aw, have a heart, Twilight."

"I do, that's why I'm going to wait until you're feeling better before I make you go back and apologize to Fluttershy, then do whatever she asks until she's satisfied you've paid off your debt."

Spike groaned and threw an arm over his eyes. Twilight might have had some sympathy for him if she didn't know that Fluttershy was going to forgive him immediately and let him off much more lightly than he deserved.

In a huff, Spike rolled over, as if to go back asleep, and Twilight was reminded of the letter she needed to send.

Twilight softened her tone and asked, "Oh, um, Spike, one more thing. Do you mind sending this letter for me? It's kind of important."

Spike rolled back over and cracked open an eye, looking at her, then the floating scroll, and sighed deeply. "Sure." He sat up and raised a fist to his chest, looking as if he were trying to swallow something. With a burst of flame more akin to a belch than his normal controlled burn, Spike incinerated the scroll and the resulting green smoke soon curled away.

Twilight's eyes were fixated on the smoke as it magically snaked its way out of the room. More to herself than anypony else, she murmured, "Ooh I hope that goes to the right pony. Not that there's anything in there that I wouldn't want Princess Celestia to read, except I don't want Princess Celestia to read it."

Spike tried to puzzle through her circuitous logic, and failed to follow her train of thought fully. "Huh? What's so special about that letter? I mean it's just another note to Princess Luna, right?"

Twilight tilted her head and admitted, "Well, yes, but no. It's the first letter I've sent Luna since ... well, since I told her that I loved her."

"After you did what?" Spike exclaimed, leaping out of his basket. Immediately he doubled over and clutched as his stomach as he let out a pained, "Ow."

Twilight took little note of Spike's discomfort. She physically had taken only a few steps toward the nearby window, but mentally she was a million miles away. There was a hitch in her voice as she admitted, "I told her that I loved her, and she told me that she loved me as a friend." Quietly, softly, she sighed, "But that's not good enough, I want so much more."

Spike forgot his own pain for a few minutes and said with surprise, "Whoa, you're really serious about this."

Twilight choked back a frustrated sob and replied, "Yeah."

Despite his upset stomach and general malaise, Spike waddled over to rest a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry, Twilight. Things will turn out all right. I mean, you're Twilight Sparkle; the greatest unicorn ever! If you really want something, you'll figure out a way to get it."

Distraught, Twilight rounded on Spike and lifted him up to eye level with her magic, putting her face only inches from his as she asked, almost hysterical, "But what if this is as good as it gets? What if this is the closest Luna wants to be with me? What could a pony like her ever really see in a pony like me? I should be happy, that she trusted me enough to open up and reach out to me as a friend; I should be ecstatic! But I can't stop myself from wanting so much closer to her, to become her very special somepony."

Lost in her thoughts, Twilight turned her head and lowered Spike to the ground. He circled around her until he could look into her eyes again. "That doesn't sound like the Twilight Sparkle I know, the one who's saved Ponyville time after time, not to mention all of Equestria. Why are you being so down on yourself?"

"I don't know. Half an hour ago I felt like a mare who could take on all of Equestria and do anything to make Luna fall in love with me. But now I'm not sure that anypony could ever love me at all. I'm boring, and plain, and -"

"And you're Twilight Sparkle," Spike soothingly broke in, laying a comforting claw on her neck. "The greatest pony I know. You're smart and pretty, you're always determined, and you can do anything you set your mind to, even time travel. Heck, making a princess fall for you shouldn't be hard at all."

Twilight looked down at Spike, really looked at him, for the first time since she'd come into the room, and smiled a small, but warm smile. "You're just not going to let me feel down, are you, Spike."

"Nope!" he cheerfully replied.

She leaned down and nuzzled the top of his head. "Thanks Spike, you're the greatest dragon a pony could ask for."

"Yeah, I know." Spike said, full of pride.

Twilight raised her head, eyes full of fiery determination. "And you're right. No matter what it is, a raging ursa minor, a god of chaos, or winning a princess' heart, there's nothing I can't do when it really matters, and this, most definitely matters."

Spike beamed as he said, "That's the spirit. Besides, I thought you two were already kind of going out anyway."

Twilight cocked her eyebrow incredulously and eyed Spike. "Where did you get an idea like that from?"

Spike turned beat red and couldn't meet Twilight's eyes. "Well, there were a couple of times when you two were in bed together, and then there was all the stuff you guys were saying about studying love ..." Twilight's obvious continued bewilderment seemed to cow spike and he trailed off before suddenly grasping his stomach. "I mean, oh, my stomach! I feel so sick!" He hurried back over to his basket and quickly burrowed beneath the blankets.

Twilight shook her head in amusement. Obviously Spike had been seeing things, and reading a deeper meaning than really existed in her and Luna's relationship. Nonetheless, he had cheered her up out of her momentary funk. She sedately walked over to his basket. "Well, I hope you begin to feel better soon. For now, just get some rest." She gave him a quick, sisterly peck on his scaly forehead, and used her magic to securely tuck him in. "If you need anything, just let me know."

"Well, I could use -"

"Not ice cream," she said sternly.

"Actually, now that I think about it, I'm good. I'm just going to take a nice nap. Thanks for the offer though."

"You do that." Twilight quietly made her way out of the room, pausing at the doorway to softly call out to Spike, "sweet dreams" before she closed the bedroom door behind her.

As she climbed down the stairs, back into the library proper, Twilight slowed down and eventually came to a stop. Her mind was awash with conflicting thoughts and emotions. It seemed as if she was simultaneously elated at having screwed up enough courage to confess her love, pumped up and ready to do whatever it would take to woo Luna. At the same time she was racked by self-doubt about actually wining the princess over, or anypony for that matter..

After all, while Twilight didn't exactly have much experience in romance, she knew that having feelings for somepony was only half the battle. In order for a relationship to happen, they had to have feelings for you back. It was similar to how molecules worked, she mused. In order to create an ionic bond, there had to be an attraction between both atoms. But in the case of some elements, it was hard, if not impossible to create such a bond. Was she just some lonely hydrogen trying vainly to attach itself to Luna's noble gold?

It sometimes seemed impossible that a pony as powerful, self-assured, and beautiful as Luna could ever feel even a hint of the emotions, such as love, that normal ponies fell prey to. But at the same time, it had become painfully obvious that she not only felt such base emotions, but was susceptible to loneliness, just like Twilight. She'd been so fragile, so frightened when she'd confessed to her lie by omission, to trying to monopolize Twilight all to herself. Twilight had rarely seen another pony so vulnerable, and she wanted to see more. Not of Luna in despair or pain, but of her true, honest self, that the princess had to keep locked away. She wanted to help the princess open her heart, and she wanted to be the pony who would help her heal.

And, she admitted to herself, she didn't want anypony else to share that special, tenuous connection she'd made with Luna. Twilight knew this came from a baser, more selfish part of her, but she wanted a deep, personal relationship between the two of them, and somehow, it felt as if anypony else were involved, it would be cheapened.

As close as she was to the situation, Twilight was able to keep enough of her objectivity to realize that while she was head over hooves in love with Luna, she was a complete novice in the practice of romance, especially it came to romancing a princess. She had an elementary, theoretical background in romance thanks to her extensive reading, but none of the books she'd read seemed quite helpful in her current circumstances. In addition, in her real life, she'd never before made the time for love. She'd always pushed her mind and magic to its limits to be the best student she could possibly be. But she'd neglected her feelings, and that had left her woefully unprepared for a matter of the heart such as this.

Unfortunately she was going to have to make up for lost time. With Luna still adjusting to modern life, and her romantic feelings for Twilight questionable at best, Twilight was not only going to have to learn the steps of romance, but she was going to have to take the lead and guide Luna along them as well.

But, what better place to learn about a subject than a library? If she could learn how to run a marathon from a book, she was certain she could learn how to date another mare.

With her confidence renewed, and a clear objective in mind, Twilight eagerly turned to her old friends, the bookshelves that lined her home. With a jaunty gait, she cantered over to the reference section and began pulling out books with her magic, hastily scanning the titles for their relevance. "Princess x Princess, Princess Academy, Judgment Princess, Princess and the Witch ..." None of them seemed like they would be all that helpful to the situation at hoof.

Twilight was quickly growing frustrated over the lack of suitable reading material. Obviously romancing a princess wasn't an everyday affair, but surely there had to have been somepony in the past who had put some thought into it, or had even tried it, and had taken the time to write their thoughts down. Twilight paused as she reasoned through that train of though, and reached the logical conclusion. The only princess until recently to be available would have been Princess Celestia. For several moments, Twilight imagined a faceless pony offering Princess Celestia chocolate and flowers, Princess Celestia laughing gaily, reclining in bed with a come hither stare... And at about that point there came a rapping on her chamber door. Twilight blushed and resolved to think such thoughts nevermore.

With Spike resting upstairs, Twilight pitched her voice to carry just far enough to reach the front door and called out, "Come in."

The door swung open to reveal a smiling Applejack who stepped into the library, quickly followed by the rest of her friends.

"Heya!" Pinkie said loudly as she bounced in.

Applejack greeted her, "Hey there, Twilight, what'cha -"

Twilight held a hoof up to her lips and shushed her friends. She tilted her head toward the door leading to her room and quietly interrupted, "Hi girls, Spike's still resting from his stomach ache, and I don't want to disturb him." She laid down the books she'd been holding aloft and approached her friends, giving Fluttershy a sheepish smile. "I'm so sorry Spike tried to eat you out of house and home, Fluttershy. I've already told him that as soon as he feels better, he's going to work his tail off to repay you."

Fluttershy's smile was warm and forgiving as she softly replied, "Oh, it's alright, Twilight. That was only my emergency supply. Honestly, I'm more worried for Spike than upset. Angel has never gets nearly as sick as Spike is over a little ice cream. In fact, he's perfectly normal this morning."

Twilight shot Fluttershy a somewhat askance look. "Uh, yeah, well, I guess everypony's system handles a dozen or so gallons of ice cream a bit differently."

"Oh, I know mine does," Pinkie broke in. "Especially strawberry. It taste great, and it's great for settling an upset tummy."

"Yeah, that's great and all, and I hope Spike's feeling better soon," Rainbow Dash interjected. "But what are you doing here Twilight? We thought you were packing up and would be on your way to Canterlot as soon as possible to chase after your marefriend." She floated over and playfully nudged Twilight.

Twilight tried to sternly frown at Rainbow Dash as she took a step to the side to put some space between them, but her attempt at a scowl of disapproval was ruined by a hot blush tinting her cheeks. "She's not my marefriend!"

"Yet," Pinkie cheerfully added.

Twilight shot her a quick glower, but soon gathered herself together and coolly continued, "Besides, I am chasing after her, just in my own way. I've written her a letter about continuing and deepening our friendship, and now I'm beginning to do some research on the right way to court a princess."

Rainbow Dash stared at Twilight with a stern frown for a second, before she blinked and looked past her, at the rest of their friends with a shrug, and loudly asked, "See what I put up with?"

Applejack let out something between a laugh and a cough, and ambled over. "Twilight, your looking through books and finding answers has saved us all plenty of times, but somethings you just can't read about. You actually hafta go out and try 'em yourself."

Twilight easily agreed, "Of course you have to apply what you've learned, but before that, you need to adequately understand everything you possibly can about the situation you're going into, don't you?"

With a charming smile, Rarity spoke up. "Twilight, dear, what I believe Applejack is trying to say, is that in some cases, this one for instance, you could stand to do a bit less thinking with your head, and a bit more with your heart."

Pinkie broke in again as she bounced in a circle around Twilight. "Yep, you should just let go, get wild and crazy. That's when you start having all sorts of fun dating."

Twilight tried to follow Pinkie's still bouncing form with surprise written on her face. She hadn't thought her friend had all that much experience in relationships. At least she'd never seen her with a steady special somepony.

Unperturbed by Twilight's stare, Pinkie went on, "It always feels great when you're with somepony and you just do what feels good, and don't think about it too much. If you sit around and think about things, you get all sad and introspectivy." She slowed down and her smile turned into a small frown. "You start asking yourself things like, 'is my mane too long, not long enough? Am I too fat, or too thin? Why won't they answer my letters anymore? Why?!" By that point she was practically bawling, and leaned heavily on Rarity, pressing her tear streaked face into the uncomfortable unicorn's mane. Rarity reached up with an unsure hoof, delicately trying to soothe Pinkie as she quickly searched for the properly placating words.

But, as suddenly as she'd collapsed into an emotional wreck, Pinkie sprung away from Rarity, beaming widely without any hint whatsoever of her tears from just moments ago. "So, even though you're a super smartypants, Twilight, just go with the flow, do what feels right, and you'll have a lot more fun."

Twilight dealt with Pinkie's antics the best way she knew how, by simply ignoring them. Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, and probably Rainbow Dash were obviously against her, arguing for emotions over logic, so she appealed to her final friend, Fluttershy. After all, love was too important to leave to something as inexplicable as sentimental emotions. "Fluttershy, you agree with me, right? Don't you think it's a good idea to take things slowly, to do some research, maybe a few tests, before I jump all the way into this? I mean, to be completely honest, I'm not the most romantically ... er ... experienced pony. I need some theoretical grounding before I go into the field."

As usual, Fluttershy appeared uncomfortable at being asked a question so directly and being put on the spot. She apparently found it difficult to meet Twilight's eyes as she replied, "Well, it's true that you don't want to rush into anything, especially when it comes to love. But maybe there's such a thing as being too prepared? Remember when we all agreed to go to that concert, and you spent so much time studying acoustics in order to choose the best location, you completely missed it?"

Applejack spoke up again, "She's right, Twilight. Now, Ah'm all for taking your time before jumping into something like this all willy nilly. But once somepony's caught your eye, you've got to run out there and hog tie them as quick as possible, before somepony else comes along and sweeps them off their hooves. Metaphorically speaking of course."

Rainbow Dash spoke up, "Yeah, I mean, if we left you to do it the way you wanted, you'd probably lock yourself in here and read every book you could get your hooves on about love. You'd probably die of old age before you even got to first base!"

"First base?" Twilight asked, confused.

Rainbow Dash seemed hesitant to answer, but Pinkie quickly stepped up and answered, "Well, when two ponies love each other very much, and they get their tongues -"

Rarity quickly cut her off. "I believe what Rainbow Dash is trying to say, in her own blunt way, is that we're simply trying to help you, dear. I know it can be a bit difficult to come out of your shell, but that makes it all the more necessary for us to help you. With us by your side, you'll not waste a second of your trip to Canterlot, and you'll be going after Princess Luna with everything you have, one-hundred percent!"

"A hundred and ten percent," Rainbow Dash said eagerly.

Twilight felt a bit as if she were backed into a corner, and tried her best to explain herself one last time. "B-but I don't know how to date a princess. I don't even know how to date."

"Oh, it's quite simple, dear. Flowers, dancing, small talk, sweetly whispered nothings, secret rendezvouses behind tapestries, stolen kisses ..."

As Rarity went on, Twilight hastily picked up a quill, an ink well, and a piece of parchment, and began to take notes.

"But, most importantly, I think, is the dancing." Rarity looked pained as she continued, "Now, Twilight, I know it was in an informal setting, but the only time I can recollect you dancing was during your birthday ..."

Twilight looked up over her parchment and beamed. "I remember that. I was putting everything I learned about dancing from my extracurricular classes into practice. It wasn't too bad if I do say so myself."

Rarity bit her lip, not wanting to continue to harp on the disparity between what could be learned from a book and from practice. "Er, right. Well, I'm sure that you would want your time with Princess Luna to be perfect in every way. So I think maybe we should practice a bit, perhaps a lot, and there's no time like the present. However, I'm afraid that there simply isn't enough room in here to serve as an adequate dance floor. Neither is there in Carousel Boutique."

"Well hay, there's plenty of room in the ol' barn back at Sweet Apple Acres."

Rarity smiled radiantly at Applejack. "Perfect. To Sweet Apple Acres then, girls!"

"Yay!" Pinkie cried out, and began to nudge Twilight toward the door, aided by Rainbow Dash.

"B-but what about my books?" Twilight said desperately, trying in vain to slow down her friends.

Sardonically, Rainbow Dash replied, "Trust me, Twilight, they'll be here when you get back."

In short order, her friends had dragged her from the library, paper, ink, and pen still floating behind her, Leaving the tree house dark and silent, save for the troubled snores of a baby dragon.

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><p>AN

This isn't even my final form

Thank you Pyrite and Lambotrist for proofreading and editing this chapter. Also, thank you for reading it, and for sticking around long enough to see it. I hope that it at least was good enough to partially make up for it.

Thanks Derrem for the fanart found here:

art/Don-t-let-the-sun-catch-you-crying-340191371

Sorry it took so long to come about, but I must blame the usual culprit of real life. My paying job has little to do with writing, and in fact I sometimes believe it's degrading my ability to string sentences together.

I'm going to try and shoot for finishing this story before the next season starts. A story from the first season should probably have wrapped up before the second came out, but hey, c'est la vie.


	10. Part 3b Side A

I didn't rip off Young Frankenstein, I referenced it. There's a difference.

Loading Side A ... (OK)

Loading Side B ... (FAILED)

retrying ...

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><p>For Luna, the weeks passed by in one long, perpetual night. Between her nocturnal court, the days spent researching, and the scant few hours of sleep she guiltily stole, Luna had seen little daylight, and even less of Celestia. Despite her sister's repeated efforts to spend time with her, to Luna, every moment not spent researching was a moment wasted, and an offense against her feelings for Twilight.<p>

But now, finally, after so many caffeine fueled, sleepless days, Luna could feel the solution to her problem drawing close. Of course no pony had ever accomplished such a thing, defeating the spectre of death so soundly that they practically became immortal, so there were no set guidelines on how to go about it. However, from the bits and pieces of spells Luna had found in the dustier tomes, from the hints and conjectures in the margins of long forgotten pages, in the whisper of ideas not written down, but left between the lines, Luna believed she had pieced together a spell the likes of which Equestria had never seen.

The spell was elegantly simple, if you wanted a pony to live as long as an alicorn, you simply made them an alicorn. The actual implementation of such a simple concept was vastly more complex unfortunately. After all, there was more to an alicorn than simply giving a pegasus a horn or a unicorn wings. The subtle flow of energies in the body was vastly different, almost as foreign as the reshaped structure of the skeleton and muscles. Even the manner in which their essence interacted with the magical plane had to be altered. In short, a pony would have to relinquish their original body and rebuild it, almost to the point of creating a new one, all without altering their mind, their consciousness, the spark of life which made them the pony they were.

It would be a difficult spell, to say the least, requiring hundreds, thousands, perhaps even millions of tiny spells that fit into each other like tiny cogs in a horribly complicated timepiece. In addition, it would require a great deal of power. Perhaps even more than Luna herself possessed. Celestia's aid would be required at least, and perhaps the full force of the Elements of Harmony might have to be harnessed in order to power such a multitude of interlocked spells.

However, despite all the difficulties facing her, the multitudes of spells she would have to design and practice on how they connected together, the politics behind finding the power necessary, and the monumental amount of trial and error ahead of her, for the first time in weeks, Luna felt something akin to joy. Yes, it would be difficult, but it was possible. The faint spark of hope she felt in her breast was infinitely more than she'd had even days before.

The night was coming to a close, and after a final marathon session of researching, checking and double checking her assumptions and conclusions, Luna finally allowed herself to pause and bask in the warmth of her hope. She pushed herself away from the overburdened desk she'd been leaning heavily against for so long. A part of her wanted to leap up, to shout and prance with joy, but she was too physically and mentally drained to do much else other than collapse backwards onto the large cushion she'd been sitting on the edge of.

Luna didn't even mind the plume of dust which shot off of its cover as her weight quickly descended upon it with a soft pomf. Nothing in the small room she'd commandeered for her work had been all that clean to begin with, but that didn't matter. Her criteria for a private study in which to perform her research had been simple; small, inaccessible, and in a part of the palace few ponies frequented. When properly focused, everything, including dirt, disappears. Besides which, if the room was too small and out of the way for the maids and other custodians of the castle to clean properly, then it was all the less likely that Celestia, or somepony else would stumble in and interrupt her work with something as blase as reminding her of the need for food or sleep.

Certainly her order that nopony else trespass upon her minor domain hadn't helped the cleanliness of the room either, Luna thought to herself as she surveyed the chamber with half-lidded eyes. The large desk before her dominated the room, and it was in turn dominated by a pile of books and scrolls which were stacked in mounds shaped by the avalanches of literature from hours past. The floor was covered with a thin carpet that had been used so much that any design it might have once had was obliterated into a uniform grey which bled into the dark blue marble floor revealed between the carpet and the walls. Walls that were unadorned, save for the empty squares of stone where the outline of dust revealed where tapestries once hung, now secured over the room's scant few windows to keep out the unwanted interruption of daylight. The only illumination she needed was provided by a few lamps scattered between the desk and the few bookshelves and tables that lurked elsewhere in the room, empty save for uneven stacks of dirty, dry tea cups. Lights augmented by will-o-wisps that Luna created whenever she needed the additional light to better examine something more fully. This was no fit place for a princess, but it suited her well.

Thanks to her standing order, aside from the occasional visit by Gimlet Lime, to deliver further research material, Luna had been blessedly uninterrupted during her non-court hours. Which made it all the more surprising when the door swung open and crashed into the adjacent wall with enough force to cause small cascades of dirt and dust to rain down from the bookshelves lost in the gloom, and for a few of the more precarious scrolls to slide off the table and bounce across the carpet. Surprised, Luna jerked her head up, ready to repel any and all hostile invaders, only to find a rather sheepish appearing Celestia standing in the doorway.

"I'm sorry, Luna, the door was stuck," she said by way of explanation. Luna sighed and lowered her head back fractionally, trying to regain at least a sliver of the wonderful elation that had just been overflowing within her. "It's a rather heavy door, and I don't think the hinges have been oiled this century. In fact, I think this whole room could use a thorough cleaning," Celestia continued as she stepped into Luna's research study, her head swiveling about to take in everything.

Luna turned over onto her stomach to better watch Celestia as she entered the room. "And what brings you to such a forlorn section of the palace such as this?"

Celestia was silent for a few moments as she nonchalantly perused the many volumes crowding Luna's desk amongst a sea of papers covered with her small, cramped, short-hoof. At length she replied, "I've been hearing reports about your studies that are a bit … disconcerting."

Luna's eyes narrowed dangerously and she curtly asked, "From whom?"

"Gimlet Lime, among others." Seeing Luna's eyes shift to a far corner of the room thoughtfully, and her frown deepen into an outright scowl, Celestia quickly added, "She's just worried about you, we all are, Luna. It isn't healthy to lock yourself away for days on end, studying things like this." She lifted up a copy of De Lu's Art of Magic that Luna had left open face down on the desk before quickly dropping it as if it were covered with a contagious virus, its dragon-hide bound cover colored with the blood of various other creatures only hinted at the dark secrets hidden within. "When I tried to warn you about the consequences of our long lives, of the ephemerality of other ponies, I didn't mean for you to drive yourself insane searching for a way to pervert nature."

Luna's exhaustion was transforming into a simmering anger that bordered on outright rage. She glowered at Celestia as she uncoiled from the cushion and stood up to her full height. "A perversion of nature?" She quietly, calmly asked. "Are you unnatural, Celestia? Am I? The fact that we exist shows that ponies can transcend their natural limitations and become something ... more." Luna began to pace through the shadows that gathered in the gloom of the room. "And what right do you have to question what I do with my time? I've attended to all my duties as the ruler of the night, rose and set the moon exactly on time, listened to and arbitrated many matters of great import. On what ground do you have to question me or my methods?"

Celestia shook her head and frowned in concern. Imploringly she said, "On what ground … Luna, listen to yourself. I'm only concerned about you. When was the last time you ate, or even slept? You're pushing yourself too hard."

Luna's rage briefly died back into exhaustion and she closed her eyes wearily for a few seconds and the steel left her voice as she replied, "Perhaps you're right, I have been working hard, but it's all been worth it." Her voice took on a breathless, excited tenor, "During my tireless hours of study, in the midst of this darkness, a sudden light broke in upon me, a light so brilliant and wondrous, and yet so simple. I alone have succeeded in discovering the cause of lengthening life, neigh, even more. Celestia, I have found an answer to death itself. We can transform her into an alicorn, turn her into one of us!"

"To go to such lengths for anypony, even one as special as Twilight, is madness, Luna, even if it were possible." Celestia said sadly.

"It could work!" Luna cried out loudly, defiantly. From outside a crack of thunder reverberated throughout the castle, the lightning accompanying it flashing so brightly that it shot through the room, revealing the dark circles around Luna's eyes and her heaving chest. "It will require a spell, no, a series of spells more complex than any I've ever known, and vast amounts of power, but it is possible. It must be. And she isn't just somepony, Twilight is … she's … I am …" Luna trailed off, her energy deserting her; she slumped down to the ground defeated. "Heavens help me, Celestia, I love her so much. I can't lose her."

Celestia's eyebrows shot up and she asked incredulously, "You love her?"

Luna closed her eyes wearily and sighed. "Yes. I think I do. I don't know how or when it happened, but I love her so much it hurts." Luna's voice trembled slightly from exhaustion, mostly from fear. Without saying anything, Celestia crossed the room and settled down by her side. Luna pressed her face tightly against her sister's rainbow hued mane, too afraid to move away or to look up and discover Celestia's expression.

Celestia reached out with her hoof and pulled Luna into a tight hug, opening her wing wide to bring them even closer, before setting it down over Luna's back. They stayed that way for several silent minutes as Luna composed herself against Celestia's side, her sister as steady and unflappable as ever. Luna found herself resting against her, breathing in her familiar, comforting scent.

Eventually though, even silence must end, and Celestia quietly, hesitantly, said, "Luna, I'm glad you've found a special somepony ... but -"

"I know," Luna said a tad curtly. She reluctantly pushed away from Celestia, her head still turned away, refusing to look her sister in the face. She sighed in resignation. "I know. That's why I'm doing all of this. Why I'm driving myself so hard. I don't want her to leave me, Celestia. I want to see her smile, to hear her laugh, forever and always." Luna cut her eyes toward Celestia to find her chewing her lower lip in though, her brow wrinkled in confusion.

"I wasn't aware that your relationship had progressed so far. Have you told her how you feel yet?" Celestia asked, sounding reserved, but non-judgemental. However her eyes were unfocused, lost.

"No, I haven't told her yet. I wasn't sure of my own feelings until just recently, and even once I was, how can I be sure of how she feels? What if she doesn't love me as I love her, or thinks that I'm strange and ... unnatural?"

It was Celestia's turn to give out a small sigh as she focused on Luna. "You're not unnatural Luna. I'm sorry I mentioned that. I never meant for you to take it so personally. But you shouldn't doubt yourself so much, you're a wonderful pony and Twilight would never intentionally hurt you. Even if you confess your love to her, and she doesn't feel the same way, I'm sure that she would want to remain your friend."

"Perhaps you're right," Luna said thoughtfully. In truth she didn't require very much convincing. After so much time spent obsessing over Twilight, it was clear to Luna that at least for now it simply wasn't enough for her to be Twilight's friend. Perhaps in time when her feelings cooled, when the first blush of her ardor died down, she could settle for being only her friend, but at that moment such a prospect seemed tortuous. "Perhaps, now that I have a possible answer to her mortality, now that we can truly share our lives, now I'll be able to tell her my feelings. If she even feels a fraction of what I feel for her, it will be enough."

"Luna," Celestia said chidingly. "While you should tell Twilight the truth, and let her know how you feel, you shouldn't put so much faith in this spell of yours. Whether you or she will be here forever, or whether you'll never see one another again after tomorrow, shouldn't change how you feel for her. And you should respect her decision whether she returns your feelings or not."

"I know," Luna said shortly as she climbed to her hooves. "Twilight's feelings are her own, and I will respect them no matter what they are. But who are you to lecture me on how much importance I should place on lengthening her life, my love's life? I know my research is far from complete and I have much further to go before I can guarantee that she'll live as long as I do, but it will work. If not this exact spell, then something else. There has to be an answer. I will find a way, Celestia. You might not be able to understand my feelings for Twilight, or the lengths I would go to for her, but I will do whatever it takes." She coldly looked down at her sister.

Celestia's frown deepened as she too stood up. "Luna, listen to yourself. You're starting to sound like you did before you transformed into Nightmare Moon. It isn't healthy to be so obsessed like this."

Luna's eyes narrowed and she backed further away from Celestia. "Is that what you think, is that what you fear? That I'll return to being Nightmare Moon, that I'll terrorize you and all of Equestria?"

The hesitation before Celestia replied was answer enough, and from her guilty expression, Luna could tell that Celestia knew it as well. Apologetically she said, "Quite frankly, yes, I am afraid of seeing you so dedicated to something. I saw it a millenia ago and stood by without saying anything. But now I can see that Twilight has replaced your moon and stars. Love is beautiful, but you can't allow it to rule you, Luna. It's dangerous to have so much passion. What will happen when Twilight vanishes? Where will all that passion, all that intensity go" Luna's stony, accusatory silence stretched between them.

Celestia sighed deeply before taking a shuddering breath and continuing, "Luna, I do ... I know how you feel. I too was once in love." Celestia's eyes could no longer meet Luna's and she turned around, taking a few steps away. "I-it was a long time ago, sometime after you'd gone away, when I was alone, for the first time in my life. I met him, and it was wonderful." Her voice took on a wistful, reminiscent tone for a moment. But as she continued, it hardened into her normal speaking voice, and her momentary sad smile slipped back into her normal mask as she turned towards Luna once more. With clipped words she said, "But, the years flow by so fast, as fast then as now, and as I watched, he faded away, growing older every moment, while I ... while I did not. And all too soon he was gone forever, and I was left standing at his grave, more alone than I had been even when you'd been sent to the moon. They say it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. But then those who say that are themselves mortal, there is an end to their pain, to their suffering, not like it is with us, Luna. I know how deep the pit of despair is, and how dangerous it is for us, for all of Equestria, for us to fall into it. That's why we must never love, or hate, or feel, too deeply."

Luna's hardening heart softened, and she quietly murmured, "I never knew," as she took a few steps forward, unsure what she should do, but instinctively wanting to comfort Celestia.

"No, nopony ever did. We kept it a secret, and even the few rumors which where whispered around court died after a few decades."

A soft silence permeated the room as Luna turned to contemplate one of the artificial lights, mulling over Celestia's revelation. But Twilight was not some mystery stallion forgotten in the sands of time, and she was not her sister. With resolution in her heart, and an inner fire in her eyes, Luna looked up and stated, "I'm sorry for your loss, Celestia. But Twilight is different, and abandoning your feelings is not the answer. Just watch, I'll turn her into an alicorn and give her the same power we enjoy. She will never grow old, she will never leave me, and our love will last for all eternity."

Celestia snorted sadly, her smile humorless, and Luna could tell she was upset. "Luna, ponies have been searching for the secret of eternal life for centuries, but none have ever been successful, not even me. I know that you're smart, but really, what hope do you have that this spell will even work?"

Luna intellectually knew that Celestia was hurt, raw from sharing such a personal secret, but she couldn't keep the steel from her voice as she heatedly replied, "It doesn't matter if nopony has been able to do it before now. No pony has ever had the impetus that I have. The theory is sound, it should work. It will work."

"'It should.' Are you willing to so casually risk Twilight's life on such a sentiment?" Celestia relentlessly, almost cruelly pressed. "This spell will be complex and powerful, what happens, if, for some reason, you're interrupted in the midst of it, if something goes wrong?"

Truthfully, Luna hadn't had the time to consider the possible ramifications of failure. She'd only just found the possible solution, and had focused solely on success. In sullen silence she turned her head to sightlessly examine a stack of books in the far corner.

Still, Celestia pushed her, "I know it's difficult, but you have to accept the fact that Twilight is a normal pony, and like a normal pony she will live and she will die."

With an angry scowl, Luna defiantly shook her head and stared back, determinedly at Celestia. "No. She's not just a normal pony. I love her, and I won't allow her to die."

Celestia laughed coldly. "'You won't allow it?' We are powerful Luna, but even we must face reality. Some problems are too large, too complex to solve with magic."

"If magic won't work, then I'll find something else that will," Luna practically snarled. "You may have squandered your chance, Celestia, but I will not bend, I will not give up as easily as you did. No matter what it takes, I will pay the price, and nopony will stand in my way. Twilight and I will be happy together."

Celestia's face was pinched by anger, and she practically growled, "You're impossible to reason with sometimes."

"At least I don't banish ponies for a thousand years in ice, or stone, or space when the conversation doesn't go my way," Luna coldly replied.

A wave of shock passed over Celesita's face, quickly replaced by a tight frown as she nearly shook with the effort of reigning in her anger. Through clenched teeth, she said, "We've both had a trying week, squeezing more work than normal into our courts in order to clear our schedules for the holiday. We're both tired, and I think it would be best if we both rested before we continue this discussion."

Luna snappily retorted, "Well, I think -"

Without warning, Celestia's horn flared to life and the drapes that had been covering the windows flew apart, and despite the earlier thunderbolt, brilliant sunlight flooded the room. With a small cry, Luna threw up a hoof to ward off the brightness as if it were a physical blow. She was entirely blinded for several seconds as her sensitive eyes adjusted to the searing light. Celestia's heavy hoofsteps stomped across the room as she said, "It's well past your bedtime. I suggest you retire and reexamine your plans with a rested mind. Good day, dear sister." Her farewell was punctuated by the heavy door slamming shut with enough force to shake the walls.

Her eyes watering from the intense glare, Luna scowled toward the door her sister had disappeared through as she used her own magic to lower the drapes back into place. The darkness that swept in was too deep for her taste, so she allowed a crack in each drape to let in just enough light.

On an intellectual level, Luna could appreciate Celestia's arguments. However, her thoughts at that moment were far from intellectual. Why was it that every time she found happiness, Celestia would come to tear it all down? She never did it out of spite, and always seemed to want the best for her, but Luna could scarce remember an occasion where she'd been truly happy which had not been overthrown by Celestia. Luna loved her sister, but sometimes she made it so difficult to do so.

At any rate, it was obvious that Celestia would be unwilling to support her plan, and that severely limited the options she had for power sources upon which she could draw for the spell. Luna sighed. Why couldn't Celestia simply support her in this, didn't she care for Twilight as well? Luna knew her solution wasn't foal proof, and there could be other, possibly better ways to lengthen a pony's life. But if Celestia worked together with her, there was no problem, not even this one that they couldn't solve.

Outside, a cloud must have passed overhead because the light peeping in from the window dimmed. An electrical shiver ran up and down Luna's spine. A small corner of her mind began to whisper quietly, seductively. Perhaps Celestia didn't care for Twilight quite as much as she did. Perhaps she didn't approve of just how much attention Twilight was paying Luna. Maybe she had some very different plans for the young unicorn, plans which didn't involve Luna.

But Luna didn't need Celestia, or her schemes, did she? She was powerful in her own right, and while her current form may lack the power necessary for such a spell as she had envisioned, by tapping into the resources she'd locked away, by truly and fully embracing the darkness within her, she could have all the power she would ever need, and more. She could force Twilight to live forever, by her side, and together they could rule all of Equestria.

The room had grown dark, silent and still, and Luna's mind had trespassed into the shadows of her consciousness. With an almost painful shake of her head, Luna threw open the drapes and the tall glass windows to allow a breath of fresh air into the stagnant room. She then summoned a stiff breeze to blow away the intruding cloud hanging over the castle, likely playing havok with the weather ponies on duty that day.

But Luna didn't care as she trotted over to one of the windows and basked in the clear, warm sunlight. Celestia had been right about one thing at least, she was dreadfully tired, and had been sequestered in her dusty room for far too long if she was seriously considering Nightmare Moon's tempting offer. But even if her darker self spoke the truth, by succumbing to her thirst for power, Luna would lose Twilight as surely as if she'd killed her herself. While Nightmare Moon would certainly try her hardest, it was impossible to force your will upon somepony else. And love, true love, could never be demanded, or taken in the manner Nightmare Moon believed. It had to be given, to be earned.

No, she would not accept Nightmare Moon simply because she was having an argument with Celestia. Especially not when something as important as Twilight's love was in jeopardy. Perhaps, in time, Luna would be able to convince Celestia to help her, or if she couldn't, then other solutions would come to her. Luna was nothing if not a resourceful pony, and given enough time, she was confident she could overcome any obstacle. Giving up and transforming into Nightmare Moon wasn't the answer, it would never be the answer to any of her problems, and once more, Luna resolved that she'd never fall into that madness ever again, no matter what her life would bring.

As she basked in the sunlight, with the light breeze playing in her mane, resting against the window frame, Luna allowed her eyes to drift shut. It had been hours, possibly days since she'd last slept. She'd been so focused on finding a cure for Twilight that it had been all too easy to dismiss the physical needs of her body. But now that the most difficult portion of her work was at an end, Luna's exhaustion was pulling her deep into its velvety embrace.

The sun felt like a warm blanket, and the soft sandstone of the sill was as wonderful a pillow as anypony could ask for. But before sleep could claim her, Luna gave herself a shake and blearily pushed away from the window. With thoughts made thick and slow from her desire for slumber, she peered around the room and retrieved a pair of saddlebags that had been tucked beneath the desk. In a matter of moments, and with a bit more concentration than it should have warranted, Luna retrieved the most pertinent documents from atop the desk she'd labored over for far too many hours. She tucked them into the bags and tossed them across her back. With a final glance around the room, she made her exit.

The halls just outside her secreted away study were sparsely populated, but they grew more crowded as the stone transitioned from granite and blue marble to gold and white marble, signifying her return to the newer sections of the palace. Several of the ponies she passed seemed rather surprised to see her still awake and roaming the halls, but they all smiled, bowed, or greeted her warmly. Luna tried her best to return their smiles and nodded congenially back to them, but she didn't break her stride. The endless white, gleaming halls decorated by swirling whorls of turquoise and dense, soft carpets passed by in a whirl, but soon enough Luna found herself safety ensconced in her perpetually shadowed chambers.

It was a herculean struggle on her part not to simply collapse on the luxuriously plush carpet and drift off to sleep. Instead, she shrugged off her bags, letting them fall where they may. As an afterthought, she took a moment to cast a simple protective ward over them to make sure that nopony accidentally went through them and mistakenly upset her research.

The minuscule amount of power necessary to cast the ward seemed to be the limit of Luna's reserve. With the angelic, relieved smile of a pony who'd had all their burdens lifted from them, Luna collapsed on her bed, not even bothering to crawl under the covers. It was almost too much effort to wiggle into a position enabling her to lay her head on one of the many pillows.

With a contented sigh, Luna gladly let sleep overtake her. She could finally rest. For the first time since her return from Ponyville, she had a modicum of peace, of happiness. She had the beginnings of an answer to her worries. It was with a light and easy conscience that Luna went to a far, far better rest than she'd known in many days.

Several hours later and Luna awoke, suddenly and fully, as if instead of having slept for hours on end, she'd just blinked her eyes open. Yet the lethargy and weariness which had plagued her were entirely gone, replaced by an alertness and a sense of well being that she'd not felt in many nights.

Her room was completely dark, the sun having long set, and Luna had either a dream-like memory, or a memory-like dream of having roused herself enough to call forth the moon and the stars. But, whether she'd ushered in the night sky, or if Celestia had, the moon was just past its nightly zenith. That of course meant that only a few short hours remained until sunrise, and after that, only a few hours more until the early train from Ponyville could be expected, and with it, Twilight.

In the course of their recent correspondence, Luna had offered to send a fleet of flying carriages for her friends, but Twilight had gently rebuffed the offer, confiding that the train would be better thanks to the voluminous amount of luggage her friends, chiefly Rarity, were bringing along with them. And so Luna would have to wait, patiently if possible. But, at least today was the day she'd been looking toward for so long.

She'd calculated the exact amount of time the journey from Ponyville by train would take, how much time it would require to navigate the early morning Canterlot traffic, and knew approximately to the minute when she could expect to see Twilight again in the flesh. However, that didn't stop her from hoping against hope that by some miracle, at any moment there would come a knock at her door announcing the arrival of Twilight and the rest of the delightful ponies from Ponyville.

With such an unreasonable hope in her heart, a smile on her lips, and the confidence to take on every and anything life could put in her path that day, Luna leapt out of bed and began her evening ablutions. For such an important day, she spent an inordinate amount of time combing her mane and tail, brushing her coat until it glistened, and polishing her tiara until it glowed. She even went so far as to apply a hint of perfume in a few discrete places. Without a hair out of place, Luna felt ready to face the rest of the night, and whatever lay beyond.

She eyed her saddlebags, but decided that she had earned a reprieve from her studies, at least for one day. So she lifted them from the ground and placed them on a nearby bookshelf before she strode out her door. Luna paused for a moment to contemplate the entrance to Celestia's room across from her own. She fancied that she could feel her sister's energy resting inside and reflected upon the argument they'd had the previous day. While at the time Luna had thought Celestia was being hard-headed and intractable, now, with the benefit of a wonderful day's sleep, she could appreciate her sister's sentiment, if not her exact arguments. Simply because nopony, not even Celestia had ever been able to do something, didn't necessitate that it was impossible. And, while there were still many variables and unknowns that had to be dealt with, it wasn't as if Luna was going to rush in and being casting spells on Twilight the moment she stepped hoof inside the castle. Luna would never let anypony, even herself, endanger Twilight's safety. Still, Celestia had only spoken out of concern for both her and Twilight, and Luna could appreciate that.

Luna's stomach rumbled loudly and for the first time in days she noticed that she was hungry. With a bounce in her step, Luna set off down the corridor in search of a literal midnight snack. So late in the evening, or early in the morning, depending on your perspective, there was no set meal planned, especially on what was ostensibly a holiday. Due to this, Luna bypassed their regular dining room and continued on through the labyrinthine halls covered in white marble decorated with blue and gold mosaics of prancing ponies. Soon she arrived at the small chamber near the throne room which served as the palace's mail stop, in which she'd appropriated a desk as her own. A part of her enjoyed the bustle and flurry of activity that always filled the room, and made her feel less lonely during the long nights.

As usual, in contrast to the rest of the desolately populated palace, the small, brilliantly lit room was a whirlwind of activity. Five of her attendants were rushing between the several pigeonhole cupboards lining the walls and the many tables spread throughout the room; rummaging through haphazard piles of scrolls, sorting through stacks of papers, furiously writing volumes of new documents and placing them in tremulously tall pillars, and generally correlating, processing, and documenting reams upon reams of paper.

Luna's entrance was largely unnoticed, although, the pony closest to the door did slow down to offer her a perfunctory bow. Unfortunately he continued to walk forward as well, which ended in him tripping over his own hooves, causing him to give out a cry. The thick sheaf of papers he'd been carrying went flying, and a passing unicorn noticed his coworker's plight. Bravely, he leapt into action and adroitly caught one of the papers with his magic, allowing the rest of the stack to hit the floor and burst into a flurry which covered a large portion of the carpet. The unicorn intensely studied the paper he'd saved for half a moment, then sighed in relief and turned to file it in one of the stacks he seemed to be tending.

The pony who had planted is face into the floor smiled ruefully up at Luna and began to pick up the scattered papers. Luna shook her head slightly at the lunacy which was bureaucracy and used her magic to gather together the leaves of paper on the floor, arranging them in a neat, albeit unordered ream, which she floated over to her attendant. He gave her another self-conscious smile before dashing off to file, or transcribe, or destroy the documents.

Luna looked about her, and while the attendants bustling around the room were all familiar to her, there was no sign of her steward. "Where is Gimlet Lime?" she asked one of the nearby ponies.

He stopped shuffling papers long enough to look up at her in surprise. "She's asleep, probably, Your Highness. Don't you remember, you gave her the night off in preparation for tomorrow?"

"Did I?" Luna frowned in thought. To be honest, aside from her research, the past several nights were jumbled together and hazy. "Well, I hope that she enjoys her rest. If you happen across a courtier, please send them to me."

Without waiting to hear a reply, Luna weaved in between the hurrying ponies and took her normal seat in front of a desk slightly less cluttered than the other tables in the room. If she were truly being dutiful, she would have immediately delved into the many memos, notices, and petitions asking for her attention. But instead she rested her elbows on the table and her head on her hooves, letting her mind wander. Of course her thoughts immediately turned to Twilight. Not on the spell she was developing, or the upcoming arrival of her love, but of the far future, of how happy they could be together, how happy they would be. Moonlit strolls through the growing night district of Canterlot, late evenings locked away in the library discussing and debating various topics of academia, trips to the remotest reaches of Equestria where they could be alone together, appreciating the majesty and beauty of nature uninterrupted by anypony else. Luna could easily picture them on a precipice soaring so high that even the clouds would bow to them. In the far distance nameless mountains would stand, awaiting their hoovesteps, and stretching between them and the far off vistas would be all of Equestria, waiting for them in all its glory. Although, with their recent history concerning precipices, perhaps they could visit a more terrestrial climate which would give them the same ambiance.

Luna's reverie was interrupted by a soft cough at her shoulder. One of the normal nightly servants stood there, wearing a pleasant and expectant smile. "Was there something you needed, Princess Luna?"

It took Luna a moment to recall her thoughts, but her blank stare transformed into a grateful smile as she replied, "Ah yes, thank you. I would greatly appreciate a cup of tea, and perhaps a small meal."

"Right away," the other pony said, quickly turning to go.

Luna was in the midst of returning to her paperwork, when a thought occurred to her and she held out her hoof to forestall the courtier. "Before you go, please arrange to have the rooms in the east wing cleaned soon. I know nopony goes there all that often, but if a room is shut up for too long, the dust and shadows grow deep, and the air breeds dark thoughts." Luna said mournfully, her eyes drifting away from the present for a brief moment. When she returned, she found the servant staring at her uncertainly. Luna lowered her hoof and cleared her throat. "That is to say, please have a schedule made to keep all the rooms in the palace thoroughly cleaned, whether they're in use or not."

With a slight curtsy, the servant answered, "Yes, Your Majesty." She rushed off, nearly colliding with one of the secretaries who had just finished rearranging a stack of papers to his satisfaction. Luna tracked her flight from the room, then turned her hoof to more princessly duties. The first document staring up at her from the desk, patiently waiting her attention was a rather verbose and convoluted request from the mayor of Canterlot asking whether it would be appropriate to exchange the current streetlights with newer magical globes powered by an improved spell which was expected to allow the lights to last for far longer. In addition there was a plan to increase the number of streets covered by the lights. The letter ended with a statement revealing that since the streetlights affected the ability of ponies in Canterlot to view the night sky, the mayor felt it was important to get Luna's opinion before moving ahead with the plan.

Luna put down the letter and mentally considered the vista from atop the palace for a few moments, of the stars twinkling far above and the lights of Canterlot twinkling far below. It was difficult sometimes to remember that most ponies didn't, or couldn't view the stars from such a vantage. How different the night must be for a pony in the city, their night made artificial day thanks to the streetlights. Lights put in place to keep ponies safe and allow them to see where they were going, but which drowned out all but the brightest stars.

Luna took great pride in her night sky, and at one time might have been perturbed by the thought of deliberately obscuring it with magical lights. But now she felt as if she had a deeper understanding for the common pony. Most ponies didn't look up and appreciate the night sky out of maliciousness, but rather because they simply lacked the understanding of the natural world which some ponies possessed. They were busy with their lives, their thoughts turned toward their homes and occupations without straying from such a comfortingly small view of the world. It was for their sake that things such as streetlights were necessary. The scientists, the poets, the artists, and all the other dreamers who looked at the world differently, who truly appreciated the night sky, they would find the will to leave the safety of the city behind and journey to the remote places, far from the pollution from lights, or from the casual concerns which threatened to pull their lofty thoughts from the heavens back down to Equestria.

Luna looked down again at the document before her. After a moment's further consideration, she magically opened one of the drawers of the desk and lifted out a freshly trimmed quill as well as a glass inkwell capped with an ornate and intricate gold mesh. After delicately dabbing the quill's nib in the ebony ink, she proceeded to write her reply in an even script unconsciously made elegant by archaic flourishes.

Her reply was much more concise than the question had been. Luna assured the mayor that it was a wonderful idea to expand the coverage of streetlights in Canterlot, and that so long as the new spell had been adequately tested, it made perfect sense to use globes which wouldn't have to be replaced so frequently. She gently blew on her message to speed along the drying ink, then rolled it into a scroll and sealed it with a piece of soft wax that she turned molten with a thought, and into which she pressed her signet. She set the scroll down on the corner of her desk reserved for outgoing mail, and in a matter of seconds it was whisked away, as if by magic.

The first message taken care of, Luna turned her attention to the next, and her mouth quirked into a delighted smile. It was a request by the Equestrian Academy of Science to build a new observatory on a remote mountain in the midst of the royal preserve, far from the polluting influence of artificial light. With a flourish of her quill, Luna agreed to the plea, with the provision that the academy provided a detailed plan of how they were going to build the observatory while leaving the rest of the preserve untouched.

Her reply had just disappeared into the capable hooves of one of the secretaries when the servant from earlier returned and announced her presence by sliding a tea service also containing a covered plate onto an unoccupied corner of Luna's desk. "I'm sorry it took so long, Princess Luna, there were only a few cooks still on duty tonight."

"That's quite all right," Luna replied with a grateful smile. "Thank you very much."

"Do you need anything else, Your Majesty?"

"No, thank you. I believe I have all that I need for now."

The servant nodded and silently, respectfully left. Luna lifted the ornately wrought silver platter to find a large plate of artfully arranged, neatly cut sandwiches. As she floated up one of the sandwiches and sampled it, she lifted the heavy silver teapot and poured the steaming tea into one of the thin walled porcelain cups. The sandwich was honestly unremarkable. But when she took a sip of the fragrant tea, she found it sweeter than what she was accustomed to, and smiled softly, pleased that somepony had noticed her preference. She took another sip of the tea thoughtfully, and then stirred in one of the sugar cubes stacked in a pyramid on a small dish. While it was sweeter than normal, it still wasn't quite sweet enough for Luna's tastes.

The rest of the morning passed quickly. Luna diligently read through the stack of documents requiring her attention, approving some, denying others, and requesting additional information for most. Despite the best efforts of her secretaries, the stack of papers awaiting Luna's perusal dwindled, and far overhead, invisible in the depths of the palace, the moon charted its course across the night sky.

Only the cold dregs of the tea were still left in the bottom of the teapot, and Luna had nearly worn away the nib on her third quill by the time she stretched and pushed herself away from the desk. The moon hung low in the sky, which meant that it would soon be time for the sun to rise, and then, for Twilight to arrive.

With a heart made light by expectation, Luna smiled charmingly upon the markedly slower moving secretaries. "Thank you so much for your hard work, gentlecolts. Dawn is nearly upon us, and so I'll bid you all a good morning." The bleary eyes stallions smiled and muttered their thanks as Luna stood and worked the kinks out of her hind legs. They set down their many reams of papers in a more-or-less sorted manner and began to move toward the exit as Luna passed through the opposite doorway and made the short journey to the throne room.

Thanks to the lack of any scheduled courts, the throne room was abandoned, even by the guards normally stationed at its doors. None of the lights had been lit, but the gentle moonbeams and soft starlight that tumbled through the tall stained glass windows provided more than enough illumination for Luna. Indeed, without the harsh glare of any pony made light, the room seemed less of a cyclopean vault, and more like a sacred sanctuary.

Luna's hooves made no sound as she crossed the marble floor to the deep, plush carpet that ran across the center of the room. On a whim she followed the runner and slowly climbed the familiar path up to the throne. With all her normal pomp, she regally ascended to her rightful place and haughtily scanned the hall as if it were packed with ponies awaiting her review. The moment soon passed, and with a wry snort of amusement at her antics, Luna settled heavily into the throne of Equestria, her crown resting upon a troubled brow.

Her mind freed from her duties, Luna's thoughts traveled over the well worn paths leading back to Twilight, and Celestia. Her love for Twilight was without question, and she would pour all her passion, all her energy into insuring that her love would never die. But what of Celestia? She obviously had some deep and personal reservations about Luna's feelings, stemming from her own history. Yet did that invalidate her point? Could there ever come a time when Luna's feelings for Twilight potentially interfere with her ability to govern Equestria?

Deep down, being perfectly honest with herself, Luna herself was unsure of the answer, but feared it. She knew that she would be wiling to sacrifice many things for Twilight, even her own life if necessary. If it came down to a choice between Twilight and Equestria, Luna wasn't certain which she would put above the other.

Perhaps Celestia was right, perhaps having such deep feelings could be potentially detrimental. However, that didn't mean that it was appropriate for her to go to the other extreme, abandoning all her feelings completely, suppressing them behind the mask of the perfect ruler. Certainly she had experienced a loss that not even Luna could fully understand, yet shouldn't that enable her to better understand Luna's feelings, her love? Couldn't she reexamine the lesson she'd learned and draw new, better conclusions from it, ones unclouded by bereavement and loss? Perhaps it was Luna's turn to help her sister, to open her eyes to the fact that she didn't have to close herself off to the softer, nobler emotions which made a pony a pony.

As Luna brooded on these thoughts and others, the reign of the night came to an end, and the day began. She felt the familiar push of the sun, and Luna eagerly pulled down her moon, enshrouding the throne room in darkness. The impenetrable gloom lasted only a few moments until a gradual brightening heralded the first rosy strands of light striking the uppermost windows. In the otherwise silent room, Luna could clearly discern the faint popping that arose as the glass expanded thanks to the energy of the sun. In a matter of minutes, as the sun rose, the beams of colored light swept down the walls of the throne room painting it in vibrant reds, greens, blues, and a thousand other colors. Just when its dazzling brilliance reached the top of the throne and threatened to ensnare Luna's eyes, the door to the throne room was opened and in strode Celestia.

She stopped short when she found Luna sitting upon the throne, and her face blossomed with a warm, welcoming smile. "Luna, good morning!"

Luna instinctively smiled in return. "Good morning, Celestia." Luna replied as she stood up and made her way down off the throne. An awkward silence stretched out between them, though they were now on an equal field, both smiling at one another pleasantly. The good mood that Luna had awoken in echoed through her and resonated with her anticipation of her soon to be realized joy. Feeling a bit magnanimous, and ready to forgive anypony anything, Luna said, "I'm sorry about yesterday, Celestia. I was exhausted and perhaps a bit overworked, but I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you. I know that you have only my, and Twilight's best interest at heart. I shouldn't have ... snapped at you the way I did."

Celestia's smile grew wistful as she replied, "No, Luna, I'm the one who should apologize. These past few weeks haven't been the most pleasant for me either. And when I heard that you were secreting yourself away from everypony, again, well, I acted and spoke without thinking things through. I know you wouldn't hurt anypony willingly, least of all Twilight, but I allowed my fears to get the better of me for a little while. I still don't agree with the course of action you've taken, I know how it will end, but no matter what happens, I'll always be there for you."

Luna's smile fell slightly. While she appreciated Celestia's apology, her promise of support rung somewhat hollow. "Thank you. But you only believe you know how this will turn out. I'm sorry for what happened to you in the past, but that was a different time, with different ponies. I'm not you, and Twilight's not that stallion. We will make this work, somehow. If this fails, or I can't discover a safe means to perform the spell, we'll find something else. I'll never give up, but I promise you that I will never put Twilight in danger, no matter what."

Celestia sighed in resignation, but her smile removed most of the sting from it. "I'm sure you will, Luna. But don't let your feelings, your ambition, blind you. I worry for you, not only because of your eventual heartbreak, but also because of your ability to become ... obsessed, with your mind focused upon a single thought, ruling all others. Please, be careful how you tread, Luna. Please don't follow the paths you once walked."

Any vestige of Luna's smile had fled her, and she backed a little away from Celestia, turning her attention to one of the banners decorating the hall. "If you fear the return of Nightmare Moon, you have no need to worry. You have my word that I will never allow my heart to become so corrupted as to transform into her ever again."

Celestia nodded, but still she looked unconvinced. She turned her attention away from Luna to look around the throne room. Its early morning splendor had faded, the vibrant mosaic of light had coalesced into a cheerfully warm yellow glow that suffused throughout the room. Obviously not wanting to dwell on the subject, she asked, "It's still early, but have you eaten yet?"

Luna's frown lessened slightly, there was still more she'd like to say to somehow convince her sister that she wasn't the pony that she thought she was. But she allowed herself to be redirected. "No, although, I must confess that I'm not all that hungry. I'm too ... excited. Twilight and the others will be here soon, and I'm both anxious to see them, and nervous."

"I understand, but I'm afraid we still have a few hours until they arrive."

"I know, but -"

Luna broke off as the soft cacophony of several hooves striking marble echoed through the partially open door behind Celestia. Both princesses regarded each other questioningly just before the doors burst open to reveal all of Luna's friends from Ponyville as well as several of the servants from the palace, including Gimlet Lime. They all stopped short when they saw the princesses together and dropped into low bows. Rainbow Dash was the first to straighten out of hers, and she sported a wide grin at seeing Luna's shocked expression. "See, I told you we'd surprise them."

* * *

><p>Thanks Lambotrist for editing this one.<p>

Side B should be up hopefully sometime this month.

Sorry for the delay, but extreme ways were here again. I had to close down everything, I had to close down my mind. I've seen so much in so many places, so much you couldn't even believe.


	11. Part 3b Side B

I'm sorry, so so sorry.

* * *

><p>Fear was a strange thing, Twilight mused to herself as their train smoothly arrived at the Canterlot station. While she didn't feel it as acutely as some ponies did, she had known her fair share of tense moments. But the terror she'd felt when facing down the many threats to Equestria she and her friends had dealt with over the past year paled in comparison to the anxiety that gnawed away at her now. The fear that had settled in her stomach days ago, and had slowly grown larger and larger the closer she came to seeing Luna again. She'd barely been aware of their train ride to Canterlot, or the song and dance number that Pinkie had burst into to convince the crew to make an early trip especially for them, lost as she was in her own world of worry.<p>

She'd planned out the moment of their reunion countless times, imagining how perfect it would be, fearing how badly it could go, and hoping how wonderful it might turn out as she and Luna raced into each others hooves. By the time the train had come to a complete stop and they'd descended onto the platform, Twilight had built up the moment in her mind so much so that she felt as if she were heading to a life defining test. One that she'd studied for extensively, but one she didn't know the answers to, and one that wouldn't be as simple as hatching a dragon.

Honestly, there hadn't been anything in her almost bi-daily correspondence with Luna to make her feel anxious about their meeting. It was just a bit nerve racking to see her after being separated for so many months, er, weeks. What if Luna wasn't as Twilight remembered? What if she'd grown cold and distant toward her for some reason? Did she really have a chance at winning a princess' love? Or anypony's as wonderful as Luna? Maybe Luna had found somepony else, somepony more beautiful, or more intelligent than Twilight. Well, maybe more beautiful at least.

Doubts that would have seemed ridiculous to her only the day before now multiplied and twisted through her mind like a parasprite infestation. Her thoughts were so tangled; she was blind to the beautiful morning, to how the streets leading to the palace practically glowed in the early morning sunlight. In fact, she struggled to keep up with her friends as they raced toward the resplendent palace and through its wide doors, following their well-worn path to the throne room.

"What's the matter, Twilight?" Spike asked from just over her shoulder. "That's the fifth time you sighed since we got off the train. Aren't you happy to be coming back to Canterlot? I mean, you've been talking about it nonstop for weeks now."

"Of course I am, Spike. I'm just ... tired, from waking up so early."

"Boy, tell me about it," Spike replied with a yawn. Twilight could feel him shift his weight on her back. "I was able to grab a nap on the train, but I'm still bushed."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, because you really worked up such a sweat yesterday."

"Hey, it's exhausting watching you pace back and forth. Besides, I'm a growing dragon, I need my beauty sleep."

"Uh huh," Twilight replied, her unconvinced tone a bit more relaxed than before. Their brief tete-a-tete had chased away some of her anxiety, but it still lurked in the recesses of her mind as they approached the throne room.

But still, she hesitated before the large, closed doors separating her from Luna. Her friends stood by her, their smiles slowly fading as another bout of anxiety gripped her. This was it. She still had the opportunity to turn back now, go back to Ponyville and let things continue the way they were. She'd still have her daily correspondence with Luna and Princess Celestia. She'd still be both their friends. Sure everypony would question her actions, but she'd be safe, and nothing would change. However, if she opened the door, if she crossed the threshold, nothing would be the same ever again. If she saw Luna now, feeling the way she did, Twilight knew she'd have to pursue their relationship to whatever end it was destined for. She hoped, desperately wanted it to be something more than friendship, but she feared that it might end up as something less. What if Luna didn't feel the way she did and was driven away by the intensity of her emotions? What if she ended up hating Twilight, thinking that she was weird? Same sex relationships had existed a thousand years ago, but they hadn't been anywhere near as popular as in the present. What if …

What if Rainbow Dash took the decision out of her hooves? With a tone of voice bordering on impatient, Rainbow Dash said, "What are we waiting around here for? Let's go!" and threw wide the double doors. She jetted into the room, forcing the others to rush in after her to catch up.

Soft morning light filled the room, creating a warm, welcoming, yet almost ethereal feeling. The only other ponies in the room were the princesses and thanks to a trick of the light, for a moment it seemed to Twilight as if they were both sparkling. Princess Celestia was facing away from the door, her voluminous mane and tail hiding her from view. Luna on the otherhoof was facing the door, but her eyes were locked on Celestia's with a determined cast, a slight crease between her eyebrows and a set jaw. Her attention was drawn to the door which banged open and as she beheld Twilight, her eyes softened and her lips blossomed into a smile.

A bit belatedly everypony fell into a respectful bow, Twilight included. The abrupt movement caused Spike to slide forward and he tumbled end over end off of Twilight. Concerned, she looked up from where she was crouched to find him rubbing the back of his head, giving her a rather dirty look. Twilight winced in sympathy and shot him an apologetic smile.

Rainbow Dash was the first pony to stand up. Proudly she said, "See, I told you we'd surprise them."

"Indeed you have," Princess Celestia's melodic voice range out. Twilight stood up and she heard everypony else behind her rise back to their hooves as well. Princess Celestia had turned around to greet them and both princesses stood side by side, wearing nearly identical expressions of quizzical joyfulness. This close, it was easy to see the familial resemblance.

"Twilight, you're here!" Luna happily said.

"And as usual, you're more than punctual, my dear student," Princess Celestia added. "We weren't expecting you for another few hours at least."

"Oh, well, Pinkie Pie was able to convince the crew of the Ponyville train to make an early run just for us," Twilight explained.

"It was super easy," Pinkie chimed in. "All it took was a little singing and dancing and soon everypony was raring to get to Canterlot."

She took a deep breath and stepped forward, probably preparing to burst into the song from the morning, to let the princesses know just what they'd missed. However, before she could begin, Rarity pushed her way past her. "In fact, so much so that several of trainponies volunteered to transport our baggage for us."

A flicker of recognition crossed Princess Celestia's face. "I see. Then we should reward those gentlecolts by letting them get back to their train as soon as possible and setting down their no doubt heavy loads. Besides which, I'm sure you all need a bit of refreshment after your trip."

She nodded to Luna who called out to somepony beyond Twilight, "Gimlet Lime, if you would, please escort our guests to their rooms."

Twilight looked back to find several ponies had followed them into the throne room without her noticing. One of the mares wearing glasses and a stern expression nodded respectfully, acknowledging Luna's order.

"Actually, on second thought, I believe I'll escort them myself," Luna said charmingly. "It will give us some time to catch up with one another."

"That's a wonderful idea, Luna." Princess Celestia replied. "I believe I'll join you. I've been looking forward to spending time with Twilight and all her friends."

Twilight turned back around just in time to catch Luna shooting Princess Celestia an inscrutable look before she nodded and smiled. Only this time it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Well then, I suppose we should be on our way."

She strode forward, passing tantalizingly close to Twilight, leaving a familiar scent in her wake that caused a longing to weal within her. The ponies from Ponyville, as well as the group from the palace, parted to either side to give her room. Princess Celestia followed only a step behind her sister. At the door, Luna looked back at them expectantly before turning to the left slightly. Princess Celestia cleared her throat slightly causing Luna to turn to the right.

Princess Celestia looked over Luna's back at something down the hallway. "Well, it appears the porters are here with your things. Let's show them where to set them down."

"Let's go!" Pinkie cheerfully agreed, bouncing out after them, the rest of the ponies from Ponyville following her out of the throne room. Twilight paused long enough to lift Spike back up onto her shoulders.

As they passed through the doors, Twilight looked back the way they'd come and saw a veritable mountain of chests, bags, boxes, and various packages slowly moving down the long, ornate carpet covering the stone floor. Looking more closely, there was a poor pony, his legs almost at right angles to his body, shaking under the strain, sweat pouring down his face, bravely moving ever forward under the weight of his load. Beyond him she could see at least two more comparably burdened stallions. Her heart went out to them, but they had volunteered to carry Rarity's baggage, so they had nopony to blame but themselves.

Still, she turned and began to walk quickly, soon catching up to and walking abreast with Princess Celestia and Luna. The sooner they reached the guest rooms, the sooner the poor ponies would be able to put down their heavy load.

The trip through the palace was short. After a few twists and turns they left the polished stone and gilded fixtures of the palace's hallways behind and stepped through an open door and across a short expanse of close cropped grass. One of the many colorfully decorated towers that were spread across the palace was before them. Twilight recognized it as one of the ones reserved for visiting dignitaries and thus one of the ones she hadn't frequented often. Princess Celestia continued to lead the way to the shallow, wide quartz stairs which circled the vibrant tower. As they ascended, Twilight felt a moment of nostalgia. The wall of the tower they climbed was decorated in a myriad of colorful designs made up of a wide range of different materials.

"I hope the rooms will be suitable for you all," She said, looking back over her shoulder at Twilight and the others as they climbed. "I'm afraid that we're still cleaning the feathers out of our other guest rooms, so at the moment, these are all we have to offer you." They'd completed a circuit around the tower and had arrived at a round wooden door in the wall, painted a golden yellow. It was almost as wide as it was tall, which was just barely higher than the tip of Princess Celestia's horn. With an apologetic smile, she turned around fully and with a tug of her magic, pushed the door open.

It swung inward, revealing a large, circular room paneled in a rich cherry red wood. Thick, substantially built wooden furniture was spread across a hoof-stitched carpet that filled the room. Each piece had clean, simple lines, but was intricately carved with tiny stylized ponies frozen in the midst of everyday activities. The light filling the room was provided by large windows made up of a myriad of tiny mosaiced crystals. The decorations and festive designs on the exterior of the tower skillfully incorporated the semi-opaque stones. A faint breeze wafted through the open door carrying the smell of furniture polish, linseed oil, and the cherry wood panels to them.

Applejack was the first pony to step forward to examine the room. After a moment, with a wide smile, she said appreciatively, "Why, ah don't think we'll have any trouble atall fitting in here." She stepped fully into the room and turned a slow circle, taking in all the details. "Other than figuring out the sleeping situation that is," she added with a nod toward the fact that there were only two beds in the room, on opposite walls from one another. "But I reckon we'll be cozier than a duck in down."

Princess Celestia replied, "I'm glad you like it, Applejack. But you all won't have to share it. There are still two more rooms above this one. So while you will have to share, at least it won't be overly cramped."

"Oh." Applejack said thoughtfully, her smile faltering for a moment. "Well, ah'll take this one then. It's not too far off the ground, and it kind of reminds me of home," she said with a nod of satisfaction.

"Bed check!" Pinkie Pie called out loudly as she raced past Applejack and leapt high into the air. She twisted around as she fell, landing back first on one of the sturdy looking beds. She hit the homespun bedspread and bounced a few times before coming to a rest. She wore a thoughtful expression, as if thinking something of great importance over as she sat up. She sat on the edge of the bed, bouncing a few more times.

Nonplussed, Princess Celestia turned her attention from Pinkie back to the rest of the group. "Well then, on to the rest of the rooms."

Luna was smiling in amusement at Pinkie's antics, and while Princess Celestia turned to begin climbing the stairs once more, Luna's warm eyes caught Twilight's. For an instant, it felt as if they were sharing their own private, secret moment. Twilight could feel the slight warmth of a blush on her cheeks as she unconsciously smiled back at the princess. Their eyes remained locked for what seemed like forever, until the last possible moment when Luna turned around to follow her sister. The spell broken, Twilight quickly glanced around, hoping that none of her friends had seen the silent exchange.

Thankfully, it didn't look like any of them had. Applejack was busy pushing Pinkie Pie toward the door of the room while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked on. Meanwhile, Rarity was looking back with a touch of anxiety on her face, watching the first of the porters reaching the landing they were standing on, looking hopefully at the open door of the room. With a sigh of relief, Twilight willed her heart to slow its pounding and with a wide grin, she began to make her way up the stairs again.

Another circuit of the staircase brought them to a landing that transitioned into a balcony cut into the tower. The slight stone edge that served as a safety wall for the stairs was replaced by polished oaken rails and balusters gleaming in the morning sunlight. Peeping between the balusters and hanging over the wooden rails were several lotus flowers of differing hues, still heavy with the morning dew. They grew from narrow troughs of still water slightly sunk into the surface of the perimeter of the balcony. A few fat bees meandered amongst the flowers, taking in the heady perfume they filled the air with. There was a door leading from the balcony into the tower that was nearly identical to the one from the floor below, save that it was painted a vibrant red.

This door opened outward, cloaked in the soft glow of Princess Celestia's magic. Eagerly, the whole group pushed forward to better see the room, their hooves clattering against the seamlessly fitted boards of the balcony. The room beyond was slightly smaller than the one below, owing to the space taken up by the added balcony. However, it was still much larger than Twilight's bedroom back in Ponyville.

In lieu of paneling, the walls of this room were made up almost entirely of the semi-translucent crystals. They were so tightly spaced that it seemed less like the walls were solid, and more like the room simply stretched out infinitely. An invitingly thick, soft white carpet covered the majority of the room's floor. There were only a few pieces of pristine white painted furniture to break up the gentle light pouring in from the crystalline windows. The most prominent pieces being two beds, both hidden under thick white duvets, making them seem less like furniture and more like clouds that had just happened to form indoors.

"Wow," Rainbow Dash said succinctly.

"I'm afraid the décor is a bit minimalistic, but hopefully the beds will make up for it," Princess Celestia said. "They come from the finest craftsponies in Equestria and are said to be as soft as a real cloud."

With a snort of amusement, Luna interjected, "Not quite." Seeing everypony else's questioning gaze directed at her, she hastily explained, "That is, they're quite exceptional mattresses. However, I wouldn't go so far as saying that they're the same as sleeping in the sky. They might take some getting used to if you're not accustomed to modern beds." She trailed off awkwardly, a slight blush darkening her elegant cheekbones.

"Oh, that's quite all right," Fluttershy spoke up from behind them. She'd paused to smell the flowers but now stepped forward to help Luna. "I sleep in a regular bed all the time back home, so I'm sure that these will be just lovely, Luna."

"Yeah, and I can sleep pretty much anywhere, so don't sweat it, PL," Rainbow Dash added.

Luna's posture relaxed, mollified over her slight breach of etiquette. "Well, if you do have any complaints with the sleeping arrangements –"

She was caught off guard and cut short by a blur of pink speeding by them shouting out, "Bed check!" Once more, Pinkie Pie leapt high into the air aiming for one of the beds. This time though she landed without any bouncing at all. Instead she sank deeply into the bedspread, almost disappearing from sight. Ever so slowly the mattress rebounded, gradually pulling Pinkie out of its depths.

"Nope, too soft," She finally decided while still lying on her back.

Twilight couldn't help sighing and closing her eyes as she rubbed her forehead with her hoof. She loved her friends, really she did. But did they really have to try their best to embarrass her at every opportunity?

"Whoa, nice one, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash said appreciatively. "But watch this!" Without any further warning, she launched herself toward the room's ceiling, rebounding off of it to slam face-first into the unoccupied bed at a wincingly fast speed. Unlike Pinkie, Rainbow Dash did disappear completely into the soft white confines of the comforter, driving it so far into the bed that only the hemmed edges peeked above the surface.

"Oh my, I hope she's all right," Fluttershy said worriedly.

Twilight hoped so too. But a small part of her snidely answered her question from before. Apparently her friends did have to try their best to embarrass her as much as possible. Maybe there were still some aspects of friendship that she didn't know about since she was sure that she'd never embarrassed any of them the same way.

A cyan hoof followed by a rainbow hued mane rose out of the crater in the middle of the bed and with her usual energy, Rainbow Dash popped fully out, hovering slightly over its surface. "Aw yeah. If bed diving was a sport, I'd be number one in Equestria!"

Relieved that Rainbow Dash was fine, Twilight's thoughts switched from concern back to embarrassment. She hurriedly stepped between the princesses and the rest of her friends. "Well, I think everypony loves the beds. We should probably keep going now."

Princess Celestia chuckled. "All right, Twilight. Let's be on our way."

They continued their climb up the stairs, completing one last circuit around the tower, now high above the grounds of the palace. This time instead of coming to a landing, they continued climbing to the dome which topped the tower. The bottom of its teardrop shape jutted out past the wall of the tower and had a hole cut into it which the stairs led to. As they passed through the opening, Twilight felt the slight tug of magic pulling at her mane and coat. It seemed that since there wasn't a real door, somepony had set a force field over the opening to keep the elements and the insects at bay.

They finally reached the top of the stairs and Twilight felt a pleasant tug at her heart, almost like she was returning home. The room wasn't as large as the one she'd had when living in Canterlot previously, but it was still impressive. The outer walls followed the shape of the dome closely, causing the ceiling to come to a point high overhead. Thick oak planks made up the floor, mostly obscured by several rugs of various sizes and designs. The walls were plastered with an off-white, almost greyish color, ending halfway up the dome. The rest of the walls and ceiling were dark blue, covered with a dizzying array of white lines of different shapes and lengths. It took Twilight a moment to realize they were constellations, ones from halfway around the world. In between the stars were a cluster of circular skylights providing light for the room. Through their normal glass panes, a few wispy clouds were visible in the blue morning sky.

A few sturdy tables were spread around the room while bureaus, wardrobes, and cabinets dominated most of the wall space. There were only two bookcases in the entire room, both located in a small loft erected on the far side of the room from the stairs. Like the previous rooms, there were two identical beds across the room from one another. These ones both had canopies and were draped with patchwork quilts made up of various heraldry.

Spike gave a whistle of appreciation and Twilight silently agreed with him as she gazed around appreciatively, walking slowly to the center of the room. Behind them, Rarity finished climbing the stairs and took a few steps away from the stairwell, commenting, "Oh yes, this room is simply perfect."

"It is," Twilight agreed, her eyes trailing down from the meticulously decorated ceiling to where Princess Celestia and Luna were standing. "Thank you for letting us stay here, Princess."

"Yes, thank you so very much," Rarity added.

Princess Celestia smiled awkwardly down at her, her eyes flicking to the side in remembrance for a moment. "You're both very welcome. Perhaps once you're all settled in, you'll join Luna and I at breakfast. We were just discussing it when you all arrived."

"That sounds great," Spike spoke up excitedly. "I could really go for something to eat right now."

"You can always go for something to eat," Twilight rejoined.

"Hey, I'm a growing dragon, remember?"

Without warning, Pinkie's pink form burst from the stairwell, causing everypony in the room to tense for a moment. "Bed check!" she yelled, launching herself once more across the room. However, this time she was halted in midair by Rarity's blue magic wrapping itself around her.

"Not this time, Pinkie," Rarity said sternly as she none too gently lowered Pinkie to the ground.

Pinkie Pike took note of the scowl on Rarity's face and the ice in her voice. "Yeah, well, these beds look like they might be a bit too hard anyway. I think I'll just go sleep with Applejack."

"That sounds like a great idea," Rarity curtly replied.

"Well," Luna hurriedly said, likely trying to smooth things over, "We were just discussing having breakfast, Pinkie. Why don't you go get the others together, and we'll all go out?"

Pinkie perked up and she smiled widely, "Okie Dokie, I'll go get everypony else and we'll be ready to go in two shakes of my tail." She zoomed back down the stairs, narrowly avoiding the poor ponies carrying their luggage who where shakily pulling themselves up the final steps, gasping for breath.

"We'll just let you get situated," Princess Celestia said, moving back slightly to give the overloaded ponies some room. With a node to Luna, they descended the stairs.

One of the more athletic of the stallions, who still had his breath after their climb hesitantly spoke up, "Uh, Miss Rarity, where exactly do you want these bags?"

Rarity had already moved over to one of the beds and was beginning to turn it down and straighten out the comforter. Absently she replied, "Oh, please just set them anywhere." Gingerly, ever so slowly, the porters began to set down trunk after trunk and bag after bag, quickly taking up at least a third of the room. Rarity strolled back over from the bed and watched them work; only making the occasional sound when one of them set down a trunk a little too roughly. In only a matter of minutes, the strapping young stallions had finished offloading all the luggage and were sighing in relief. "Thank you all very much," Rarity said as the last bag hit the floor. She kindly ushered the weary ponies out of the room with her thanks and a few bits each.

Alone with Twilight and Spike, Rarity effortlessly began to lift and sift through the luggage with her magic. She quickly segregated their baggage, gently floating Twilight and Spike's few bags over to one of the beds before turning to the mountain of trunks that belonged to her. With a flick of her magic, the locks all sprang open at the same time, and from the depths of the trunks sprung a set of telescoping clothes racks, already packed full with a riot of colorful clothes.

"Ah, there we are. Finally, room for them to breath. I do hope they haven't been wrinkled too badly after being knocked about by those attendants."

"If you were so worried about them, then why didn't you just carry them yourself?" Twilight asked as she walked over to her own bags.

Rarity scoffed before she replied, "A lady never carries her own bags, dear, unless there is no other alternative.

Twilight rolled her eyes as she lifted up her and Spike's things, carrying past Rarity's mobile Carousel Boutique to a wardrobe standing against the wall. "Whatever you say, Rarity. Personally, this lady is going to freshen up and then go down to breakfast." She said hanging the bags on a hook inside the wardrobe.

"I could do with a quick nose powder myself, and perhaps a quick wardrobe change, and … " Rarity pulled her head out of the racks of clothes and asked, "Twilight dear, you're not going to wear _that_ are you?"

Twilight shot a confused glance toward Rarity, before looking down at herself, noticing that she was wearing what she normally did, which was to say, nothing.

"Well, yeah," she said as if it were self-evident.

"Oh, but you can't! You should change into something with more pizzazz, something fetching that will catch Princess Luna's eye."

"Sssh!" Twilight loudly hissed, racing across the room to hush Rarity, looking over toward the stairwell. What if Princess Celestia and Luna were still outside, listening to what they were saying?

"Whoa!" Spike said in alarm, unprepared for Twilight's quick maneuver.

"Sorry, Spike," Twilight said sincerely. She looked back to the stairs, but there wasn't anything there. So she turned back to Rarity and quietly asked, "Do you really think I should?"

Getting into the spirit of things, Rarity lowered her voice almost to an excited whisper. "Oh, I know so." She floated one of the trunks full of clothes closer and began to sort through the bevy of clothes she'd brought. "I have just the thing here, somewhere." She quickly flipped through the hanging dresses in one trunk, and then another. "Er, this might take a moment or two, Twilight. Why don't you go ahead and brush your hair and I'll find you the perfect outfit," she said absently while shooing Twilight away with a hoof.

"I'll help you Rarity," Spike said, dismounting hurridly dismounting Twilight and gallantly falling on his scaly backside.

"What's wrong with my hair?" Twilight asked with uncertainty. She raised a hoof up to check if it was out of place, but she couldn't tell. It felt normal enough. Maybe that was the problem, was it too normal?

"Oh, nothing's wrong with it, dear." Rarity turned her head slightly and set a small box on the floor. "Here Spike, please sort these gems, I'm afraid they were all mixed together on the way from Ponyville." With Spike occupied, Rarity turned her attention back to Twilight. "Nothing is wrong with it at all. It's very … you. I was simply suggesting you brush it because I know when I'm brushing my mane, it helps to calm me down. I just assumed you might be feeling a little nervous because here you are, with the love of your life, trying to win her affection and all that."

Twilight frowned in thought. She was still a bit nervous. Okay, maybe a little more nervous than a bit. And whenever she took the time to comb her coat and mane she did usually feel better. Maybe something as simple as brushing her mane could calm her down a little. "Okay, I'll be right back."

"And when you return, I'll have the most wonderful outfit for you," Rarity promised her.

Not too sure how to feel about having to change her outfit, Twilight examined the room once again and found a door skillfully blended into the wall between the two beds. She opened it to find a fairly standard, albeit relatively small bathroom. With a thought, her horn started to glow and water began to fill the sink as she levitated a wash cloth off of a nearby rack. After thoroughly soaking the cloth, she scrubbed the dirt from her face and the fatigue from her eyes. The pressure felt good; as she pulled the cool cloth away from her face and set it aside, Twilight looked up into the mirror above the sink. Automatically, she began to examine herself with a critical eye, taking in the no-nonsense cut of her bangs, the plain janeness of her coat, her unadorned ears, and her unassuming eyes. To be honest, she looked exactly like she had the day before, and the day before that, just plain old Twilight Sparkle.

Maybe Rarity was right, maybe she did need to change her image, become more eye-catching. After all, in nature, more often than not, it was the bright, colorful creatures that attracted mates, rather than the boring, drab, everyday ones. It was probably too late to change her mane, at least for today, but maybe Rarity had some lipstick, or some eye-linery stuff, or some other makup that most ponies seemed familiar with, but that had never seemed all that important to her. Until now.

While she didn't have enough time to pickup makeup tips from Rarity, the least she could do was run a comb through her mane. With that in mind, she picked up a comb, as well as a couple of brushes that had been laid out next to the sink, and straightened her already near-perfect mane while brushing the dust out of her coat until it almost glowed. Rarity had been right. She did feel more relaxed thanks to the gentle tugs pulling at her hair. Feeling refreshed, she set down the brushes and comb and gave herself a final examination in the mirror. Nothing seemed out of place. She tried smiling at herself to give her courage, but her reflection only looked nervous. With a deep breath, Twilight opened the door to the bathroom and stepped back into the bedroom.

During her time in front of the mirror, Rarity had managed to unpack all her trunks. All the wardrobes and cabinets lining the room were thrown open and packed full of clothes. Rarity stood in the middle of the room admiring her hoofwork wearing a pale cream colored hat festooned with a bouquet of flowers. She turned with a bright smile for Twilight. "Twilight, darling, I've found the perfect ensemble for you," she announced. A large, wide-brimmed sunhat circled in dark blue hydrangeas lurched across the floor. With a little magic, Rarity lifted the hat, revealing Spike, and snuggly placed it on Twilight's head. A hole near the brim was just large enough for her horn to fit through, allowing it to hide amongst the flowers.

Twilight's eyes turned upwards, trying to make out anything about her new headwear, so she hardly noticed as Rarity settled a light summer dress, the exact same shade as the hydrangeas, over her. She only realized it when she felt the tug of the various discrete straps and buttons fastening under Rarity's magical touch.

"There. Now you look perfectly prepared for a day out on the town, Twilight," Rarity said with a touch of satisfaction and an appraising smile.

"Um, thank you?" Twilight hesitantly replied, twisting her body back and forth to better see her new dress, a bit discombobulated by just how relaxed Rarity was with dressing her up.

With a flip of her mane and a swish of her tail, Rarity turned around and called over her shoulder, "Now, let's be going. It's not fashionable to keep royalty waiting."

"Plus I'm starving from helping you move all that stuff, Rarity," Spike added as he began to climb onto Twilight's back.

A light blue glow enveloped him, lifting him up and depositing him on Rarity. "Spike, dear, I'm afraid you don't quite match Twilight's color theme today. Perhaps it would be best if you spent some time with me today."

"O-okay, Rarity," Spike dreamily replied.

Twilight rolled her eyes at how easily Spike had agreed to Rarity's plans as she began to descend the stairs, following after Rarity, mindful of not stepping on the hem of her new dress. They passed the other two guest rooms on the way down, both empty. At the foot of the stairs, they found both princesses and all their friends gathered together. Luna was the first to notice their approach, and as her eyes passed over Rarity and found Twilight, they widened in surprise. Twilight hoped a good one.

Princess Celestia noticed Luna's reaction and she followed her sister's gaze. Seeing Twilight, she smiled and warmly said, "Twilight, you look wonderful in that outfit.

Warmth swelling in her chest from the praise, Twilight walked across the lawn, her cheeks flushed. "Thank you. Rarity picked it out for me." The rest of her friends gathered around an offered their appreciative comments on the dress, but Twilight's attention was dedicated to Luna. She'd composed herself and it was hard for Twilight to tell exactly how she felt about her appearance. Her stomach churned in worry until Luna said, "You look beautiful, Twilight," in a tone of voice reminiscent of somepony stating something like the sky was blue or that water was wet.

Twilight couldn't hide the goofy grin that she could feel spreading on her face at hearing Luna's words. Nor did she really want to. The day had barely begun, but already it was turning into one of the best ones she'd had ever.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting kind of hungry," Rainbow Dash declared.

"The day is passing us by," Princess Celestia observed. "We should go before breakfast turns into brunch."

Everypony chuckled appreciatively at her joke as she began to lead them toward one of the palace's exits. However, they'd just set out when a voice called out, "Princess Luna, Princess Luna, please wait!"

Everypony turned around to find a bespectacled, her obviously normally tight bun falling apart due to her cantor, breathlessly running toward them. Luna's face creased with worry and she began to briskly walk toward the harried pony, meeting her a few lengths away from the rest of the group. Twilight and the others looked on curiously while Princess Celestia's face tightened into a slight frown as Luna and the official bent their heads together, speaking quietly but urgently.

After a few moments, Luna straightened, and with a downcast expression walked back over to Twilight and the others. "I'm sorry everypony, but it seems that there are some issues that I need to personally address here."

"It's not an emergency, is it?" Princess Celestia asked with a certain gravity in her voice.

"Oh no," Luna sad with a sigh. "It's just some details about the party tomorrow, I believe. Unfortunately they require my personal attention, so please go on without me. I'll try my best to finish up here and catch up to you all later."

"Oh, that's unfortunate," Princess Celestia said, her body relaxing.

"Hopefully it won't take too long," Twilight said, saddened by the thought of not being able to eat with Luna.

"It shouldn't," Luna replied, smiling sweetly. "I'll catch up with you as soon as I'm able." She turned and fell into step with the unicorn who'd chased them down. Twilight watched forlornly as they reentered the palace together.

"Well then," Princess Celestia said. "Shall we go?"

It was still relatively early morning, so outside the palace gates, the streets of Canterlot were far from crowded. The ponies they passed paused in their morning routine to give Princess Celestia respectful bows, and to look after her companions wonderingly. Spike had moved over to Pinkie Pie's back, when Twilight wasn't paying attention, and they seemed oblivious to all the scrutiny as they carried on an animated discussion with one another. Rainbow Dash and Applejack also seemed unconcerned about the many ponies paying them attention as they surreptitiously gawked at all the colorful, magically wrought buildings that soared into the sky on all sides. Rarity, on the other hoof, seemed well aware of the attention and was strolling down the road as if it were a catwalk, her head held high, her satisfied smile making her appear all the more beautiful.

Unfortunately Fluttershy also seemed well aware of the ponies that were looking their way. She held her head low, her pace slower than the others, quickly placing her at the rear of their group. Seeing her friend in such distress, Twilight forgoed her normal place at Princess Celestia's side and dropped back to give Fluttershy what support she could.

"Hi, Fluttershy, are you doing all right?"

There was a lengthy pause before Fluttershy quietly answered, "Yes ..."

Twilight took a moment to reexamine her friend, whose posture gave off the feeling of her trying her best to melt into the street. "You sure?" she asked a bit incredulously. "I know you're a little shy around other ponies, but I thought you were doing better with being more outgoing."

"Well, that's in Ponyville, where I know everypony. It's different here. It's a whole city full of strange ponies staring at me, watching me, judging me. What if they all hate me, Twilight? What if I do something, or don't do something that makes them angry or upsets them? I don't want to upset anypony."

"Fluttershy, you're not going to upset anypony just by walking down the street. And who cares if somepony is watching you. What they think, or don't think about you doesn't make any difference."

Fluttershy sighed. "I know. But I can't help worrying about how other ponies see me. When I was a model, there were so many ponies all trying to get to meet me and coming up to me in the streets all the time. What if somepony recognizes me and wants to come talk to me, or they're disappointed that I left modeling. I don't want to disappoint anypony, Twilight."

"You've never disappointed anypony, Fluttershy. I'm sure that all your fans can respect your decision, and besides, fads only last a little while in the fashion industry. I'm sure that everypony's forgotten about you by now."

"Really?" Fluttershy asked hopefully. Twilight wondered how many other ponies would be excited by the prospect of not being popular.

"I'm sure of it. It seems like it's in pony nature to gradually lose interest in strangers and to move on to the next flavor of the month. But the ponies who really care about you won't ever forget you, Fluttershy, and you couldn't ever do anything to hurt them or disappoint them."

Fluttershy smiled for Twilight and simply said, "Thank you." Her head had risen during their conversation, and while she wasn't holding it as high as Rarity, she did seem to be a bit more at ease in her own body.

During their walk, Princess Celestia had led them down several streets and around a quite a few turns. Everypony looked up from their conversations to find that they'd arrived at a veranda-wrapped building, which dominated one corner of the intersection of two wide boulevards. Tantalizing smells of freshly sliced fruit and baking sweets wafted through the building's large open windows and there was a smattering of ponies spread amongst the tables on the veranda.

"Ah, the Caprese Cafe. They're one of my favorite caterers for the palace, especially when it comes to their breakfasts."

Standing at the entrance to the restaurant, absently shuffling through a stack of menus, was a young unicorn whose mane was held back by a headband sporting the CU emblem of Canterlot University. Noticing the shadow that fell over her from The Princess's approach, the young mare slowly looked up, her eyes dilating painfully. "P-princess Celestia!" She said as she dropped into a low bow and the menus she'd been holding clattered to the ground. She was obviously quite flustered, and seemed unable to make up her mind whether to pick up the menus or to cater to the princess.

Thankfully, she was rescued by a scarlet and grey hued earth pony who seemed to materialize from the thin air, swooping in and bowing to Princess Celestia while smoothly anouncing, "Your Majesty, it's an honor to have you come and visit us personally. I assume you and your friends are here for our breakfast. If you'll please follow me, we can seat you immediately."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and led the way up the stairs and into the restaurant, Princess Celestia, Twilight, and the others, following closely behind, leaving the young unicorn to scrambling to pickup the menus scattered across the cobblestone street.

They swept through the dim interior of the restaurant, leaving several tables of confused customers in their wake. Obviously most ponies weren't expecting to see the princess of Equestria stroll by while they were eating their crepes. And, by the time they could figure out whether it was more appropriate to get up and bow or to stay seated and keep eating, she'd already passed on.

The older earth pony, whose wrinkles around her eyes were just beginning to betray her age, led them to the rear of the building, which opened onto an unexpected garden. Across the verdant square of grass, flowers, shrubs, and a trio of trees fed by a sparking, tinkling fountain, were the patios of the other stores and restaurants that made up the rest of the block. Each was differentiated from the next by a whimsically different architectural style, blended with vibrant colors and patterns, each unique, but which blended together to create a cohesive backdrop for the pleasant garden.

At the very edge of where the grass and the restaurant met, there was a large oval table surrounded by several overstuffed and beautifully embroidered cushions. Their hostess indicated this was their table, and the company found that there was just enough room for them all to sit close beside one another, but still remain comfortable. The old earth pony disappeared, and Princess Celestia acted as if it were a matter of course that they hadn't been offered a chance to look at the menu.

Twilight found herself sitting between Princess Celestia and Fluttershy, and in the silence of ponies settling down around the table, asked the first thing that her mind stumbled over. "So, Princess Celestia, I hope you enjoyed my last friendship report. The appendices were a little difficult to put together, but I think it was worth it."

Princess Celestia let out a soft laugh. "Yes, I agree, and the attached charts were quite ... extensive as well. I can only imagine what you had to go through in order to gather the data for them. To be honest, I'm not sure where you find the time, Twilight. Not only do you perform diligent research and write your correspondence with me, but, from what I gather, you've been sending a flurry of letters to Luna as well."

Twilight blushed and bowed her head, smiling bashfully. "Well, it's always easy finding the time to do the things you want to do. It's the things that you'd rather not be doing that are hard to fit into your schedule."

Pinkie Pie said, "Oh, yeah, like when I'm doing an inventory of the cake supplies back home and it takes forever because it's super boring. But when I'm writing a letter to my granny, I can go on and on and on for pages and pages and pages and not feel tired at all."

"Do you ever feel tired?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Of course I do, but I try to be supper excited and happy all the time, because that gets other ponies super excited and happy too."

"I'm sure the sugar helps," Rarity dryly added.

"Yes. Yes it does, but not as much as the smiles I see on everypony's faces."

Princess Celestia agreed, "It is always wonderful to see everypony smiling."

"Oh yeah, especially because when they smile, and I smile because they smile, and they smile because I smile, it's like being part of a warm, smile chain reaction."

"Hopefully it doesn't go critical," Twilight quipped.

"You're right," Pinkie said, in earnest. "I must use my powers of happiness for good."

Everypony laughed at the seriousness with which Pinkie made her vow. Spike was still laughing slightly as he said, "Somehow, I can't see you ever doing anything but good, Pinkie."

"I can," Rainbow Dash said levelly.

"As can I," Rarity added with a frown.

"What?" Pinkie asked in protest, putting both hooves on the table to lean across and get closer to Rarity. "Dash I can understand, but what did I ever do to get you mad at me, Rarity?"

Rarity looked up and met Pinkie's eyes, flatly replying, "Chimmy Cherry, or Cerrychonga. There are many other examples, but that's the one which will be forever seared into my mind."

"What's a chimmy-chonga?" Princess Celestia asked, an eyebrow arched in interest.

Pinkie's eyes grew large and she eagerly explained, "Oh, I still haven't decided whether it's a Chimmy Cherry or a Cherrychonga, but it's mashed up cherries in a -"

"Tortilla, deep fried." Rarity finished with her, using the exact same tone, even going so far as adopting a reasonably good facsimile of Pinkie's eager expression. It was a bit jarring to see the normally composed Rarity acting so free and loose, but she quickly returned to her normal self as she continued, "Yes Pinkie. After our lovely time in the desert, on our way back to Ponyville, where you spoke of nothing but that, you can't possibly wonder why I don't think everything you do is for the greater good."

"Well, what else were we going to talk about?"

"Anything and everything! There's an art to conversation, one that allows you to move from topic to topic, not belaboring a single subject for hours and hours, and hours."

"Speaking of which," Twilight broke in, not wanting to see Rarity completely lose her composure, especially not in front of Princess Celestia. "Fluttershy, how's that, uh, little wounded animal you're nursing back to health?" She turned a sickly smile upon her friend next to her.

Fluttershy stared blankly back at Twilight, before cutting her eyes away toward nopony in particular, and then back to Twilight, as clueless as before. "Um, fine?"

"Well, if you've got anymore of those honeybees, send 'em our way," Applejack said. "The last colony you gave us were some of the best pollinators we've had in years. Made some good honey too. And, they're so gentle, they'd never sting anypony, lessen you're a Cutie Mark Crusader trying for a bee keeping cutie mark anyways."

"I'm glad to hear they're doing so well. They were awfully sad when Mr. Bear accidentally destroyed their last nest looking for honey."

Applejack laughed. "Well, he's plenty welcome to some of ours. Ah think those bees visited every flower on the farm, and we've got gallons and gallons on our hooves. Why, the southeast corner's stickier than a filly in a candy store."

"Ooh, that's really sticky," Pinkie commented, nodding, obviously impressed. "I remember the last time I went to the candy store. I got my head stuck in a jar of sprinkles. I still find some on my pillow then I go to bed sometimes."

Rainbow Dash's lip curled up in disgust. "Wow, that sounds kinda gross."

"Not really, they still taste really good."

Almost everypony turned to look at Pinkie with varying levels of surprise. However, further discussion was mercifully interrupted by the arrival of several earth ponies wearing special saddles, allowing them to carry large trays laden with all manners of food on their backs. A couple of unicorns accompanied them, and with the aide of their magic, the table was soon on the verge of being overwhelmed by all sorts of foods. From pancakes and waffles to all sorts of sliced and artfully arranged fruits to carafes of syrup, it was a most impressive breakfast. They each quickly made their choices, and for the next few minutes, silence reigned as they happily ate the most important meal of the day.

While she was daintily levitating a slice of honeydew, Twilight couldn't help noticing that Princess Celestia seemed to be stealing a surreptitious glance at her from under her long eyelashes. The scrutiny caused the piece of melon in her mouth to feel twice as big, and while she self-consciously chewed, Twilight tried to think of a way to rekindle the conversation.

"So, what is this festival about anyway?" she asked nopony in particular. "I don't really remember it from when I was living here. Is it a new holiday?"

"Oh?" Princess Celestia replied, her eyes widening in surprise, then crinkling in amusement as she gave out a soft laugh. "Well, I suppose I'm not too surprised you're not familiar with it, Twilight. I don't believe it's all that popular outside of Canterlot, and really it's one of a dozen or so yearly festivities the city has. Mostly students use it as an excuse for a final celebration before the start of the fall semester and the beginning of a new school year. Friends get together to leave their studying behind before they have to pick it up again."

"Well that explains why she never heard about it while she was here," Rainbow Dash said. She jumped up from her seat and glared at Applejack. "Ow! What was that for?"

Rarity coolly interjected, "Perhaps we'll give it a new meaning with Princess Luna's ball. This could be the beginning of a new tradition."

Princess Celestia smiled kindly at her. "That's a wonderful thought." Her attention shifted and Twilight felt a thrill run through her when Princess Celestia asked her, "So, Twilight, speaking of Luna's party, are you looking forward to it?"

Somehow feeling like there was much more beneath the surface of Princess Celestia's question than was apparent, Twilight smiled shakily and replied, "Yes, of course I am. Very much so."

"I see." Princess Celestia lapsed into silence for a few moments, and thoughtfully sampled a few slices of fried banana wrapped in grape leaves. "And what do you think of Luna since she's returned from the moon? Do you think she's pushing herself too hard, taking over the duties of the court at night?"

"Well a'course we don't," Applejack quickly replied. "Aside from that bit of unpleasantness at the start, Princess Luna's been nothing but kind and hard working. You can't ask much more from a pony than that."

Pinkie swallowed the croissant she'd just picked up, hardly without chewing, creating a noticeable bulge in her throat as it went down. "She's just a little out of whack with everypony else because of that whole 'not being around for a really long time' thing. But that's okay. I know all about being out of whack, and it's not bad at all."

"She seems very knowledgeable," Rarity added.

"Luna'll make an awesome princess," Rainbow Dash said, settling back down into her seat. "She's always on the level, and you know she'll try her best to make sure everypony gets a fair deal."

"Why?" Twilight asked nervously. "Are you second guessing whether it's a good idea to make her co-regent?"

"Oh no, not at all," Princess Celestia said with a reassuring wave of her hoof, as if to dismiss the thought. "In fact I agree with you all that Luna will make a fine ruler again. I simply wanted to gauge the thoughts of regular Equestrians. Although, you all may be a bit biased. It seems like you're all already members of Luna's fanclub."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Twilight replied with a bit of embarrassment. "We are her friends though."

"Of course you are," said Princess Celestia, turning back to Twilight. "But then, as her friend, what do you think about Luna, Twilight? How do you feel about her?"

Twilight's blush was almost physically painful as it burned across her cheeks and she twisted in her seat to try and relieve her embarrassment. This was beginning to feel like discussing her love life with her mother, awkwardly compounded by the fact that it was about Princess Celestia's sister.

"I like her, a great deal. She's a wonder friend, of course, and I hope ... I hope that she always will be."

"I see," Princess Celestia said thoughtfully, her attention turning down to the plate in front of her. She seemed almost glum and her mood settled heavily over the rest of the table, halting the conversation and causing everypony to focus on their meal.

For Twilight, it felt almost as if she'd failed a test somehow, transforming the formerly scrumptious breakfast into so many ashes in her mouth. Idly, she examined her plate, wondering where her appetite had fled to, and how she was going to finish it all when, without warning, it felt as if a wave of energy swept through the room. As if somepony had opened the window on a cold winter day and a breeze had shot through the summer morning. But as it passed by Twilight, it felt as if it struck something within her chest and reverberated louder and louder, until her entire magical aura felt as if it were shaking, vibrating in harmony to an unheard melody.

As quickly as it had begun, it ended, and Twilight looked around the table in surprise to see how everypony else had reacted to the strange occurrence. Only Rarity seemed disturbed, wearing a thoughtful frown, as if she'd faintly heard something in the distance, but wasn't quite sure what it was. Everypony else seemed unaware that anything had happened, except Princess Celestia, who smoothed her features into a natural smile and turned to look back over her shoulder.

Twilight followed her gaze to where two walls met and formed a sort of alcove which was a bit darker than the rest of the restaurant. For a moment, Twilight thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. However, as she watched, the shadows seemed to gather in that particular corner, swirling together until they turned opaque. Then, out of that impenetrable gloom stepped Luna.

She looked around appraisingly until she saw Twilight and the others, and approached their table as if nothing unusual had happened. Behind her, the shadows dispersed and the alcove was simply an alcove again.

As she approached, Princess Celestia called out, "Welcome back, I hope it wasn't anything too serious."

Luna smiled beautifully as she came to stand slightly behind, and between Princess Celestia and Twilight. "No. Thankfully Gimlet Lime was mistaken about the severity of the issue. There were just a few questions about the ball tomorrow night. Was the caterer prepared, the floors waxed, that sort of thing."

"That's a relief."

"Yes, I'm glad it was something trivial, so I could return quickly. But not quickly enough to be in time for breakfast it would seem."

Fluttershy spoke up, twisting in her seat to see Luna better. "Oh, please join us, Luna. There's so much left, or if you'd like, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to make you something."

Luna beamed down at her. "Thank you, Fluttershy, but I'm not all that hungry. I was just making a joke."

"You sure?" Applejack asked with a cocked eyebrow. "Cause you're looking a might thinner than when you left Ponyville, and you weren't all that big to begin with."

Luna's eyes momentarily met Princess Celestia's as she replied, "I've been doing some ... intensive research lately. It's kept me from eating regularly. But, the worst of it should be behind me now, so I assure you that I'll eat more heartily in the future."

"Well, now's a good a time as any," Applejack pressed.

Luna lightly laughed. "Actually, I had a snack back at the palace so I'm not all that hungry, thank you. Besides which, I don't want to waste the rest of our day together since it's not all that often that you all come to Canterlot."

Applejack appeared sullen, as if she'd like to sit on Luna until she was certain that she'd had a proper meal, but she remained silent as Rarity spoke up instead, "Oh, you're right. I have so much shopping that must be done before tomorrow. Fluttershy, Pinkie, I think I'll need your, er, eye for fashion. A second opinion if you will. And Spike, I'll definitely need a strapping young dragon to carry all those heavy bags we're sure to end up with."

"I don't know," Spike said uncertainly, his eyes quickly darting from Rarity to Twilight and back again. "I mean, Twilight might need me ..."

"Oh, I'm sure it's all right, isn't it, Twilight?"

"Uh, sure."

"Excellent." Rarity replied with a gleeful smile. "And Rainbow Dash, I believe you had that thing you wanted to see…"

Rainbow Dash simply looked across the table in confusion toward Rarity for a few moments, before her eyes widened, and she leapt out of her seat. "Ohmygosh, what time is it?" she asked, darting back and forth. "Let's go, Applejack. The Wonderbolts will be starting their practice any minute!"

"What, me?"

"Well yeah. I thought I'd show you what real athletes look like."

"Now hold on there -"

"Yeah, yeah. We don't have time for this. Let's argue on the way." Without further ado, Rainbow Dash jetted over and swooped up Applejack, causing her to grunt in surprise as she was tackled by her friend, her hat knocked off from the impact. Only her lightning fast reflexes allowed her to grab a hold of its brim with her teeth before Rainbow Dash carried her into the mid-morning sky.

The rest of the table watched them disappear into the distance in shocked surprise. "Well," Rarity said, the first to recover from Rainbow Dash's surprising exit. "I suppose we should be off as well. So much shopping to do, so little time." She stood up and began to herd Fluttershy and Pinkie toward the door while Spike eagerly hopped off his seat to join them. Pinkie seemed reluctant to go, but after grabbing several small sugar dusted puffed pastries, she allowed herself to be led away from the table.

Princess Celestia watched them leave and commented, "I should take my leave too. There are several students taking supplementary classes at my school for gifted unicorns, and I promised I'd peak and see if there were any who could benefit from my personal attention." She stood up from the table, leaving Twilight and Luna to look at one another a bit uncertainly. At least that's what Twilight thought she saw in the depths of Luna's intensely blue eyes, the color of deep, pure ice, the kind that held an inner fire which -

Somepony cleared her throat and Twilight tore herself away from Luna's fine eyes to find Princess Celestia a few lengths away, wistfully looking back over her shoulder at them. "There will probably be a few students, perhaps even Bay Breeze, who will require my particular attention, my mentoring. I'll likely be gone all afternoon," she said whilst giving Twilight an odd stare.

Twilight wasn't sure how she was supposed to respond, so she artlessly replied, "Oh, well, I'm sure they'll really appreciate the special attention. I know I always did."

Princess Celestia let out a sad, humorless laugh, then turned and walked away, holding her head not quite as high as she normally did.

Twilight looked back to Luna questioningly. "Did I say something wrong?"

Luna though looked just as confused as she felt. "I don't believe so. Perhaps she'd just prefer to spend more time in our company." They fell silent as they contemplated the direction in which Princess Celestia had disappeared. Luna breathed in deeply and did her best to dispel the gloom that had somehow settled over them. "It seems that we've been left to our own devices, Twilight, and we have the whole day in front of us? What do you think we should do?"

Twilight thought a few moments. The possibilities were endless, yet somehow she couldn't pinpoint exactly one thing she'd prefer to do. Since she was in Canterlot, naturally it should be something that they couldn't do in Ponyville. But what were the normal things that a pony did in Canterlot? Shouldn't she know this?

Luna could apparently tell Twilight was having a bit of a mental dilemma and she kindly suggested, "We don't need to decide right now. We can just take a stroll and see where the day takes us."

"That sounds like a good idea," Twilight replied gratefully.

Attracting a bit less attention than when she'd come in with Princess Celestia, Twilight left the restaurant with Luna. Together they strolled through the wide boulevards of Canterlot, which were more noticeably crowded than earlier in the morning. But if they attracted attention at all, Twilight was oblivious to it. Though she was trying her best to appear normal and unaffected by Luna's presence, her entire focus was on the princess.

Twilight found herself transfixed by the way Luna's perfect mane absorbed the sunlight while somehow still glowing in it, hinting at mysterious depths Twilight would love to explore. She tore her gaze away, only to focus on the infinitesimal crease at the bridge of Luna's nose and the slight narrowing of her wonderfully cerulean eyes, signifying that perhaps the summer day was a bit too bright for her. Twilight couldn't help but be captured by her beauty. She could even separate Luna's hoofsteps from everypony else's around them; unique in their near absence of sound. Luna was light on her hooves, and Twilight idly wondered how well she danced. Her grace and poise seemed well suited to make her a natural dancer.

Without warning, Luna turned to her and asked, "Has anything caught your eye yet, Twilight?"

Embarrassed that she'd been caught staring; Twilight hurriedly looked away, attempting to act naturally as she scanned their surroundings for the first time. While she'd been enthralled by Luna's beauty, they'd arrived at one of the many shopping districts scattered across Canterlot. A nearby sign depicting a mortar embossed with a microscope, with a unicorn horn for a pestle caught her eye, and she had to stop herself before she impulsively made a beeline for the store that obviously carried all a pony would ever need for magic, alchemy, and science; three of her favorite subjects. However, a few doors down from the magic and science emporium, she spied a clothing store and had a wonderful idea.

"How about that store over there," she said, pointing out a store window filled with ponyquinns dressed in sequined leisure suits of varying color. "Now that I think about it, I need to pick up something for a friend."

"All right," Luna amiably agreed.

They navigated through the crowd and pushed open the glass doors of the store, causing a tiny bell to chime overhead. Within moments a snow white unicorn with a turquoise mane and tail, wearing a smile that bordered on maniacal appeared at their side.

"Welcome to Blackmoore's haberdashery and clothing store. How may I help you?"

"Do you sell sunglasses?" Twilight asked.

"Why yes. We have a wide selection of accessories to make that perfect outfit just that much more perfect. They're right over here, if you'll follow me." She led them deeper into the store, to a chest-high display covered with bangles, broaches, bows, and several pairs of sunglasses.

"That's exactly what I was looking for." Twilight said, beginning to browse the many sunglasses available.

"Thank you for your assistance," Luna added. "I believe she'd like some time to peruse your selection."

The clerk took Luna's hint and quickly went in search of other customers to assist. Meanwhile, Twilight had found a silvered, circular pair of sunglasses and had levitated them over and settled them on her nose. She looked up and found a mirror attached to a nearby wall. Seeing her face almost entirely obscured by the large sunhat and the wide rims of the glasses, Twilight pulled her mouth into a small, stern frown and murmured. "Now it's time for de magicks." Immediately her facade broke into a wide grin.

"What was that, Twilight?"

"Uh, nothing." Still smiling, Twilight turned to find that Luna had picked out a pair of heart framed, rose-tinted glasses; the dangling price tag looking just like a tacky earring. Twilight couldn't hold in her snort of laughter, or the giggles that followed after.

"What?" Luna asked with insincere obliviousness. "Don't you think these fit the royal visage beautifully?"

"Oh no, they look great on you. In fact, I think you should just go to court one night wearing those, and never saying anything about it the whole night long."

Luna couldn't hold her straight face any longer and broke into a wide, lovely smile. "I don't think anypony would say a thing. In fact, it would probably become some sort of new tradition; wearing sunglasses at night."

"You can say you're wearing them so you can see the light before your eyes, but, I think these might be more your style," Twilight said as she gently plucked the glasses from Luna's face and replaced them with a pair that had jet black, half-circular rims. "Oh yeah, these say, 'I'm your new president for life, deal with it.'"

Luna chuckled and removed the glasses Twilight was wearing. Twilight tried not to show the shiver that raced through her body at the close contact with Luna's magic. It's cool, now familiar current was like an electrical, icy caress against her face. Luna seemed oblivious to Twilight's reaction to her magic and slipped another pair of sunglasses into place over her eyes. These had rectangular lenses that were so narrow that they hardly covered her pupils.

"There. As president for life, I think these look fetching on you." She examined Twilight closely for a moment before deciding, "Yes, now it looks as if you have an opinion on neo-post modernism in a classical proto-antediluvian culture."

Inwardly, Twilight laughed at Luna's joke, but outwardly she adopted a discerning frown and replied, "Yes, I'm into some pretty obscure philosophies. You probably haven't heard of them before." She couldn't hold it for very long, and soon both of them had broken down into fits of laughter.

They went through all the sunglasses the store had, modeling them for each other, quipping and laughing their way through each pair. Eventually though, Twilight had made her choice, and Even Luna had found something to buy. After settling accounts, they found themselves back out in the street with their purchases.

"Celestia is going to love these," Luna said with glee as she contemplated the gift wrapped box that held the heart shaped glasses inside.

Twilight grinned as she said, "I bet she will."

"By the way, Twilight, I don't think you said who it was who needed sunglasses. Are they for somepony back in Ponyville?"

"No, not exactly," Twilight replied as she unwrapped her purchase. With slow, deliberate movements, she lifted them up and perched them on Luna's nose, sliding them into place. As she'd thought, they looked great on her. "I thought that you might need a pair, since it's so bright outside today." she said by way of explanation.

Luna's eyes crossed for a moment while she tried to see the glasses she was wearing, then she turned her gaze on Twilight without comprehension for a moment, until realization seemed to settle in and her checks were tinged with red. She ducked her head a bit and said, "I – I thank you." The heat in Luna's cheeks kindled a matching warmth in Twilight's chest. A sloppily sweet smile blossomed on her face as she caught sight of Luna's tender side.

Though the crowd had disappeared for Twilight, Luna soon began to look around uncomfortably, obviously not easy with showing her vulnerable self in public. Her cheeks still had a bit of a rosy hue as she cleared her throat, lifted her head, and squared her shoulders. A tendril of magic pushed her new sunglasses firmly against the bridge of her nose as she attempted to impassively scan the stores across the street from them, in the exact opposite direction from where Twilight stood.

"How about visiting that store next?" She asked with a nod of her head toward the building.

Twilight stepped forward to look past her and saw a store whose facade seemed to be made of gingerbread, complete with frosting mortar, and giant gumdrop accents. The sign above the door hung from a red and white striped candy cane, and was in the shape of a golden wrapper embossed with cursive chocolate letters spelling out Coco le Chocolatier. She cocked an eyebrow at Luna's choice. It seemed like any other candy store, and to be honest, she wasn't too hungry; but, if Luna wanted to go, then why not? "Sure, it's always a good time for chocolate."

"I agree completely," Luna said with an eager smile. She led the way to the candy store at a brisk clip, and Twilight had to almost break into a trot to catch up.

The inside of the store was just what the outside had promised. The smell of bubbling, molten chocolate filled the air, and the whirring hum of a taffy machine revolving, pulling taffy on a distant counter filled the room. The walls, ceiling, and even the floor looked as if they were made of fresh baked gingerbread. Ropes of licorice dangled from the ceiling, suspending intricate chandeliers of rock candies, each lit by an inner fire. Large graham cracker bins were stacked in orderly rows, each filled with a multitude of candies, created aisles bounded on all sides by sugar. A glass counter ran the length of one wall, piles of artfully created chocolates, spun sugar, interlaced ribbons of taffy, and candies of every imaginable shape and size filling every conceivable space on and around it.

Standing next to a large scale, weighing candy by the pound for a pair of intensely focused fillies, was a young stallion whose crisp white uniform contrasted beautifully with his dark blue coat and his cream and orange mane. Aside from the three of them, Twilight and Luna were alone in the store.

Twilight looked over to Luna and found her grinning excitedly, her eyes jumping from one candy themed display to the next, like, well, like a kid in a candy store. With a bounce in her gait, Luna stepped over to the nearest aisle of sweets, absently picking up a paper bag from the stack atop the beginning of each aisle, flipping it open with a sharp crack while she began to carefully examine the candy on display.

"Oh, look, Twilight, they have honey roasted peanuts. I remember when these were almost the only option for sweets, aside from raw honeycomb. Have you ever had honey dipped rose petals? They're quite good. But I wish I could have known the pony who discovered how to refine sugar, or who discovered chocolate, so I could personally thank them."

Twilight smiled in amusement at Luna's excitement, following her through the aisle. "Well, nopony's sure who discovered sugar exactly; it was a long process between extracting sugar cane juice and turning it into sugar granules. Chocolate's the same. Cocoa was actually discovered about eight hundred years ago, but Princess Celestia was actually the first one to suggest adding sugar to it to make it less bitter, while Hans Sloane was the first pony to add milk to it to make it lighter."

"I'll have to thank Celestia, and remember to award Mr. Sloane the Order of Leneighn posthumously. Although, to be honest, I much prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate. It just tastes more distinct and flavorful."

"I do too," Twilight replied. "I used to hate it when I was younger, but I've started to like it more as I get older."

"Really?" Luna asked, turning to regard Twilight with an expression usually reserved for meeting a fellow countrymare while sojourning in a strange land. Excitedly she said, "It looks like they have a whole section devoted to chocolate. We should see if they have any that we both like." She ushered Twilight over to a corner of the store dominated by bars, chunks, drops, chips, and shavings of chocolate. They were sorted from the darkest, graduating to the lightest, even including white chocolate.

Luna gravitated toward the darker spectrum of the chocolate and plucked a shaving from the crystalline vase marked 'samples.' She popped it into her mouth and tilted her head contemplatively. "Hmm. This one is a bit too dark," she eventually decided. "What do you think?" She selected another sliver and without preamble, slipped it into Twilight's mouth.

Feeling Luna's magic on her lips sent an electrical jolt down Twilight's spine, causing her to instinctively shiver. Time seemed to slow down for her, and she felt as if the moment stretched out for far longer than she had any right to hope it would. Being touched, caressed by Luna in so intimate a place felt so wonderful. It took her a few moments to realize Luna had withdrawn her magic, and all she was left with were the minor aftershocks of that brief contact. She looked up, dazed, to find Luna regarding her expectantly.

Belatedly, Twilight shifted her focus from her lips to her tongue, where the chocolate had long since melted. As Luna had said, it was quite dark. Not nearly as bitter as the baking chocolate she'd tried once, but far from sweet. However, it wasn't unpleasant. Along with the chocolate, Twilight thought she could taste a hint of something else, something dark and wonderful. Like the feel of a starry mane running through her hooves, or the scent of distant rain left in her sheets by Luna. Perhaps it was a lingering taste of Luna's magic, or perhaps it was simply wishful thinking. "I like it."

"Oh?" Luna asked, raising her eyebrows above her sunglasses in an expression that was either suave or comical, Twilight couldn't decide which. Maybe it was a bit of both. "I thought you would have preferred something a bit sweeter."

"Sweet is good. But, I like the darker things too. Sometimes … sweetness can be overpowering. It can be the first thing, the only thing you notice. But if you give darker things a chance, you find that they're more complex, more interesting, and ultimately richer once you get used to them."

Luna nodded thoughtfully. "That's quite a compelling argument. But I think I'll still go with the sixty-five percent cocoa instead anyway. I've had my fill of bitterness, and prefer it a bit brighter than what I've known before." With a snap, she unfolded another one of the paper bags stacked neatly nearby, and began to fill it with no small amount of chocolate bars.

"What's this?" She asked to nopony in particular as she moved down the row to a bin of chocolate cubes. She sampled a display piece and Twilight quickly followed suit, not entirely prepared to have Luna feed her again.

The candy turned out to be chocolate flavored caramel coated in a shell of slightly dark chocolate. It tasted great, but was really chewy, and Twilight could practically hear her teeth begging for a reprieve. "It's okay," she said after chewing her way through the tough chocolate.

"Oh," Luna said, sounding almost disappointed. "Let's move on then."

And so they turned down a nearby aisle and paused by each of the bins long enough to sample the candy they held, then moved on to the next aisle, then the next. Twilight enjoyed candy as much as the next pony, but Luna seemed intent on sampling the entire store. After so much sugar, Twilight could only muster halfhearted replies when Luna asked her opinion on each piece of candy they tried. At least until they reached what appeared to be the soft candy aisle where there was a bin of what looked like tiny pink pillows with a line of red peeping out from either end.

Twilight popped one into her mouth and bit into a world of cherries. The outside of the candy was soft and easily gave way to the jelly-like center which somehow hid the flavor of an entire cherry tree, but it wasn't too intense or sweet. In a matter of seconds the candy had melted away, leaving only the pleasant memories of its taste behind. "Wow, these are great! I could eat these for days and not get tired of them."

"Really?" Luna asked, perking up and becoming more energized than only a minute ago. "Excuse me sir," she called out to the colt behind the counter which was now just on the other side of the aisle they were standing in. He'd long since finished with his two petite customers and had been surreptitiously watching Twilight and Luna's progress through the store.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"I'd like to purchase these. All of these."

Both the clerk and Twilight stared at Luna in shock for a moment. "All of them, Your Highness," the stallion repeated in disbelief.

"Yes," Luna matter of factly replied.

"But why?" Twilight asked, perplexed.

"Because we finally found the candy you like, and I want to make sure that you have as much of it as you want."

Twilight blinked a few times as she mulled over Luna's words, not quite sure if it was a gallant gesture or not. Nonetheless she quickly replied, "That's kind of you Luna, but there's no way I could ever eat that much candy."

"Fine then, ten pounds will do," She called over to the clerk, while setting down her other bags of candy on the counter in front of him.

"I'd get sick if I ate that much."

"Five pounds."

"I'd get fat from all that sugar."

"That doesn't matter. Whatever you look like on the outside, so long as you're still Twilight Sparkle on the inside, my feelings for you will never change."

Twilight blushed, and she found herself quietly capitulating. "Maybe a pound wouldn't be too much."

Luna's smile lit up the room and she opened her wings and literally flew over to the counter. "All of these," she said gesturing to the bags she'd collected, "And two pounds of that candy there." She turned to look back over the low aisle wall toward Twilight. "One for you, and one for me to share with you," she explained.

In a matter of minutes she'd settled the bill and had left instructions for delivering their order to her suite at the palace. Soon she and Twilight were on their way back out, leaving behind a bewildered chocolatier.

Still feeling a bit uncomfortable about what had just happened in the candy store, Twilight sought something familiar, something safe. They were now across the street from the store that had first caught her eye, the magical science emporium. "Do you mind if we go into that store over there? I have a few supplies that I need to pick up that the stores in Ponyville don't carry." Without waiting for Luna's reply, too embarrassed to even look her in the face at the moment, she rushed across the street and up the short flight of stairs leading to the entrance made out of large honed granite slabs with relatively small, pony sized entryways carved into them.

The inside of the store was larger than the others had been, two stories tall with the second made up of a u shaped balcony granting access to a wall of books stretching up to the ceiling. Even the walls on the first floor were packed with books and scrolls sorted according to subject, and there were several displays scattered throughout the store on both levels containing various equipment and tools necessary for various scientific and magical pursuits. The center of the store was dominated by a large circular wooden desk from which several employees helped various customers. There were dozens of ponies browsing through the store, most of them far too engrossed in delving through the stores inventory to pay any attention to their surroundings. But some took notice of the entrance of one of the princesses of Equestria, and went to their knees as she passed.

Being surrounded by so much science, Twilight imagined she could relate to what Luna had felt at the candy store. Just from where they stood in the entrance, she could see five different items she either desperately needed or had wanted for months. It was hard to just decide on where to begin shopping, so, always the model of efficiency, she made a beeline for the closest one.

It was a just released, gold embossed copy of 'De Aerodynamica,' a treatise dealing with the theoretical physics of non-pegasus powered heavier than air flight. Thanks to the many responses to it in various scientific journals she read, Twilight was already intimately familiar with the arguments the treatise put forth, as well as their counterarguments, but she'd wanted to read the source material herself. There was something about the subject that piqued her interest. While lighter than air vehicles and those based on gyrocopters allowed terrestrial ponies a taste of flight, they lacked the speed, and freedom of movement that pegasi enjoyed. The thought of a device capable of allowing her to soar through the sky with the dexterity of Rainbow Dash, or Luna, fired her imagination.

Thankfully there were several copies left. She picked one up and quickly flipped through it, coming to the infamous illustration which attempted to depict the theory that with enough thrust, it was possible to make even a brick fly indefinitely.

Twilight smiled to herself as she recalled some of the more colorful responses to that particular idea, and held the book in front of her as she moved on to a display of astrally aligned graduated tuning rods. Of course she already had a set, but hers were in standard Celestian, while these were in the more exacting metric. It didn't hurt that the rods had to be made out of solid silver, and these ones were bright and shinily new while her current set were really tarnished because Spike hadn't quite gotten the hang of polishing silver yet.

She was a bit disappointed by their selection of mugwort and powdered narwhal horn, some to the catalytic compounds used in various alchemy recipes. They only had the most common varieties, and they'd obviously been sitting on the shelf for a while. Instead of being fine powders easily sifted, most of the samples the store had were clumped together, almost like little pieces of cement.

She easily passed by that display, but then another caught her eye, and then another. Eventually she found herself literally climbing the walls, one hoof on the ladder leading up to the topmost shelves of the book cases encompassing the second floor, perusing a volume on pony physiology. She had the unabridged version back in Ponyville, but at nearly ten thousand pages, it was kind of awkward carrying it around. The abridged version the store carried came well recommended, and was only a few hundred pages long, but Twilight wasn't sure it covered all the topics she'd like it to. She was mentally debating whether to buy the book or not when she happened to look up and meet a pair of soft, caring eyes.

Abruptly, she remembered that she hadn't come to the store alone, and began to panic over just how long she'd been absorbed in her own little world, abandoning her friend.

"Oh, Luna, I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed as she snapped shut the book and shoved it back approximately in the place she'd found it. "I completely forgot – I mean, there's so much to see here, I just kind of got caught up in things."

Luna's smile was warm and kind as she replied, "It's all right, Twilight. I understand how easy it is to get carried away by these things. And honestly, I enjoy watching you when you get so focused and lost in your own mind. You make the cutest expressions." At some point she'd tilted her sunglasses back until they rested in her mane, just in front of her crown. She'd also picked up a small box wrapped in brown paper that she levitated next to her alongside the package containing the sunglasses for Princess Celestia.

Twilight blushed in embarrassment and looked around her to find a dozen or so books, scientific instruments, and other things she'd decided that she needed, orbiting her slowly, held aloft by her lavender magic. Sheepishly she smiled. "Heh, well, I think I've done enough shopping for one day. I'm going to go check out now."

"Are you sure?" I think there might be one or two bookcases you haven't browsed yet."

"Well, there's always tomorrow." Twilight collected her things and began moving toward the stairs. "Sorry for getting so caught up in things, I'll just go pay for these and we can go."

The line for the register seemed to melt away in front of her, and soon Twilight had her purchases secured in a pair of bulging complimentary saddlebags bearing the store's name and an advertisement for a sale at the end of the month. In no time at all, she and Luna were outside once again, where Twilight found that several hours had gone by without her noticing. The afternoon was well underway, on the verge of becoming early evening.

She was about to comment on just how much time had passed, when Luna stepped close and quietly said, "I bought you a gift. I hope you like it." She produced the box Twilight had seen her carrying earlier and held it between them.

Twilight looked down at the gift, then up at Luna in surprise, before looking back down at the plain package. "May I open it?"

"Of course."

Carefully, making sure their magical fields didn't touch, Twilight gently plucked the box from Luna's grasp and made short work of the external packaging. Inside, resting on a bed of form fitting velvet was an ebony sextant made of blackened brass; the knobs and raised ticks made of gold. "It's beautiful," Twilight said breathlessly. "Thank you."

"Well, I thought that it might be a good time to trade in your astrolabe for something a bit better."

Twilight laughed gaily. "I already had a sextant. But this one is much more beautiful. Thank you, Luna."

"You're more than welcome." Luna looked up to judge the position of the sun, and with a genuine smile, seemingly impossible to dampen, she said, "There's a place I'd like to show you, Twilight. It's still a bit early, but they may have opened by now."

Twilight was intrigued. What kind of store didn't open until so late in the day? "Sure. I'd love to see it."

"Then follow me. I've never walked there, but I think I know the way," Luna said. She set off at an eager, brisk pace, but one Twilight found that she could easily keep up with.

In the upper reaches of the older wing of the palace, where the stones were grey and worn, carved from the heart of the mountain Canterlot was built around, long, long ago, Celestia sighed. She had retreated to that particular spot expressly because it was suited for sighing. Most ponies avoided the older, less grandiose sections of the palace, so it wasn't likely anypony would see her downcast expression, her furrowed brow, her persistent frown.

The gallery she stood in, its paintings and tapestries long since removed, looked out upon a garden forgotten by time and pony. The soaring towers of the newer sections of the palace blocked out the sun for most of the day, leaving the garden in perpetual twilight. The plants that had survived such little exposure to the sunlight had been untended by any gardener's hoof for many years. They grew wild and melancholically beautiful.

Once again Celestia's mind was troubled. Or perhaps it was still the same trouble and it had simply pushed its way to the forefront again, no longer content with being suppressed beneath the calm, benevolent image that all her little ponies depended upon. Once again, she felt more than knew that her worry was centered on Twilight, Luna, and their relationship.

Though she couldn't quite put her hoof on why exactly she objected to them becoming romantically involved, for the past few days her mind had been excessively occupied by her sister and her most prized pupil. So much so, that when touring her school for gifted unicorns, she'd been unable to give the students the attention that they deserved and had cut short her visit. She couldn't even recall who she'd seen or talked to. For some reason she'd kept expecting Twilight to appear at any moment, to rush in through a classroom door and show everypony what magic, and living up to your potential meant.

Celestia wasn't sure why that bothered her so much, but it likely had something to do with the argument that she'd had with Luna. That she was still having actually. Though they'd silently agreed to a cease fire, they'd not yet made a binding resolution to resolve their disagreement.

Like many things relating to her sister, while Celestia could understand Luna's point of view all too well, she didn't agree with it. While Luna focused on the things important to her, she sometimes became so obsessed with them that she forgot the rest of Equestria, and all the ponies which depended upon them. It was a responsibility that Celestia could never forget, not even for a moment. She didn't dare to.

Before she and Luna had risen to power, the world had been full of rulers who'd put themselves before their subjects. Tyrants and despots who'd ruled with fear, and under whom ponies lived a life of oppression and desperation. Celestia had seen that the world didn't have to be so hard, so heartless, that it could be a better place full of love and happiness, and had made it thus through hard work and determination.

Her rule had benefited all pony kind, raising her ponies from abject misery to safety and contentment, giving them the hope and the power to do whatever they set their minds to. However, to single out a pony and to try and move heaven and earth, to subvert nature in their favor, seemed hypocritical at best, and the first step on the slippery slope to despotism at worst. If they lifted up one pony, why not all? Was Twilight more important than all the other ponies in Equestria? Was she really all that special?

Celestia knew intuitively that she shouldn't be, but deep within her heart she knew the answer was yes. Twilight was special, more so than anypony else in Equestria.

Though it pained her to admit it, if she were in Luna's place, with the power she held and not under the same obligations Celestia placed upon herself, she could all too easily see herself making the same choice. That was why, though she'd argued with Luna, and would continue to argue with her, she couldn't completely censure her plans. Indeed, she considered, she had been putting up such a stubborn fight over the issue out of simple envy. Luna wasn't the perfect princess ponies expected her to be, the leader that all the creatures in Equestria looked up to. She had the freedom to declare her love, the freedom to act upon it that Celestia didn't.

The sun continued its trek across the sky as the afternoon waned, and a sliver passed beyond one of the palace's spires, blinding Celestia for a moment. She moved to another pool of light where the sun was no longer blinding, but warm and comfortable.

Again her thoughts turned to her argument with Luna. There were parts of it, certain ponies she'd rather not think about, but one good thing had come from it. The argument itself, though unpleasant, was an indication of how much both she and Luna had changed, how much they continued to change. A thousand years ago, they would have never argued. Instead, Luna would have simply hidden her feelings away. Celestia would have remained silent, tacitly encouraging Luna to maintain the status quo, to pretend that everything was all right.

The end result, needless to say, had been disastrous. That's why it was important to talk to Luna, to ask her questions, to argue with her. Not because it was easy for either of them, but because it was hard for both. It was better to regret what had been said than to regret what hadn't.

Though Celestia objected to Luna's plans, as well as some aspects of her relationship with Twilight for a variety of reasons, some of which she'd rather not think about, she cared deeply for her sister. That's why she needed to support her, even if she disagreed with her. Luna needed her the way nopony else ever did, and this time Celestia wouldn't fail her. Besides, working together with Luna would allow her to make suggestions, to guide her effort into more productive and potentially less drastic channels.

Still frowning, but in resolve rather than sadness, Celestia took a deep breath and stood tall. The day was fading and no doubt Luna and the others would be returning soon. With a determined stride she set off for the royal apartments to let Luna know just how much she loved her. Behind her the gallery and the garden fell once more into silence, dreaming of times long past.

Twilight and Luna had long ago left the shopping district behind, following a curving road that led away from the palace toward a section of Canterlot that Twilight knew well, the blocks of the city surrounding its academic heart. Either by design or happenstance, several universities and schools had all clustered together in the space of a few dozen square miles. Around this nucleus of learning were blocks and blocks of student housing, restaurants, hangouts, bookstores, and all the other businesses necessary to support the many young ponies who flooded into Canterlot each year to receive the best education a pony could ask for.

Luna cut through one of the many narrow side streets characteristic of the newer, less planned Canterlot, and they arrived at a boulevard that climbed up the steep slope of one of Canterlot's many foothills. Luna led Twilight halfway up its length to where a tall, narrow building stood, so squeezed in by its neighbors that it almost appeared crooked. In fact, it was so narrow that it was impossible to make out the facade between its windows and its neighbors. The architecture seemed uninviting; however, there was a freshly painted sign over its door depicting a steaming cup, promising the much needed caffeine essential to students everywhere.

There were dozens, if not hundreds of coffee shops spread throughout Canterlot, so it was no surprise that Twilight had never been in this particular one. It appeared that Luna had been a customer before though as she turned back to Twilight and explained, "It's usually very quiet here, and they have the largest tea selection I've come across," as she pushed open the store's door.

The store turned out to be a tiny room, made even smaller by a circular table flanked by two optimistically placed cushions. The wall opposite the door had been converted into a tall counter, behind which a voice called out, "I'm sorry, but we're not open yet." The owner of the voice poked her head over the counter and her eyes widened. "Oh, Princess Luna, come in, come in!" She stood up fully, beaming. "Welcome back. It's been weeks since you were here."

Luna smiled disarmingly. "Hello, Red Tie. I'm sorry if we're interrupting you, we can come back when you're open."

"Oh nonsense," Red Tie replied as she came around the counter to properly greet them. "You and your friends are always welcome here, Your Majesty. Would you like your usual spot?"

"Yes, if it's not too much trouble." Red Tie scoffed good naturedly at Luna. "By the way, this is my ... friend, Twilight Sparkle. Twilight, this is Red Tie, the owner of perhaps the best all night teahouse in Canterlot. She's humored me as I've attempted to sample every tea known to ponykind."

Red Tie's eyebrows shot up. "Twilight Sparkle? You wrote 'Of Magic and Mien' for your senior thesis, didn't you? It's the best dissertation on early Cartharic influences on modern spellcasting I've read. You really have a way with words."

Twilight felt the familiar pride from whenever somepony mentioned her academic accomplishments well up within her, and she allowed herself to puff out her chest a little. She insincerely demurred, "Oh, it wasn't all that special, really. I just consolidated the research Silver Dusk the younger and Star Dancer had already put forward."

"That may be true, but to be honest, I always fall asleep whenever I read any of their books. But you managed to make it all seem fun and exciting." Red Tie laughed and took a step back. "But look at me, gushing all over the place when all you two want is somewhere to sit and relax with a cup of tea. Please, come on back, and don't pay too much attention to the mess."

So saying, she turned and began walking past the counter, into the rear of the store. Luna shot Twilight an amused glance before following her. Due to the narrowness of the hallway Red Tie was taking them down, Twilight trailed after Luna closely. Deciding it wouldn't be too polite to stare too hard at the view in front of her, Twilight tried to focus on the hallway around them instead.

The ceiling was low and the hallway was made narrower by the bookshelves that lined it, crammed tightly with loose sheaves of paper and loosely bound scrolls. At the end of the hallway was a staircase leading up which made a sharp turn after only a few steps and doubled back on itself, creating a small alcove with a sloped roof too short for a bookshelf. Another small table had been awkwardly squeezed into the open space.

As they climbed the stairs, it was often difficult to tell the floors from the landings, the space for either being so small. The floors they passed all had the same motif. Nearly every open wall was covered with bookshelves, many of which were mismatched, all of which were packed with scrolls, notes, pamphlets, and loosely bound papers. None of which seemed to have been cataloged in the least. Amidst the chaos of paper were scarred, well used tables, an eclectic assortment of chairs, cushions, and crates for seats, with the occasional door doubtlessly leading into narrow spaces which promised more of the same.

At last they arrived at the top of the stairs where Red Tie opened a door to reveal a comparatively spacious room, with sunlight streaming in from several large skylights. They stepped in and Twilight found the roof of the building came to a point not too far above their heads, especially Luna's. Unlike the rest of the shop, not all of the walls were covered by bookshelves. Instead, a few were occupied by an odd arrangement of art, from dusty tapestries of faded ponies frolicking to a reprint of Whirall's Campbelle's Apple Cans. The shelves that were lined up against some walls were only partially filled with papers, the leftover space taken up by small chests, game boards, and various other odds and ends.

The floor was covered by thick carpets with intricate, almost abstract designs woven into them, which helped to hide the various stains soaked into the fabric. Several cushions and couches were spread around with a few tables intermixed among them. As Twilight was taking this all in, Luna settled down on a few cushions next to a table near the center of the room.

"So, I'll just leave you two alone," Red Tie said from the doorway. "Please stay as long as you like. But, before I go, what would you like to drink?"

"I think we'll both have chai lattes," Luna answered. "It's been too long since I've had one and you make them so wonderfully."

Red Tie's face lit up with a smile of pride. "That sounds good. I'll have them up in a jiffy," she replied. As she trotted out of the room she called back over to them, "You two have fun," before closing the door behind her.

"I hope you don't mind that I ordered for you," Luna said as Twilight drifted over to join her, taking off her saddlebags and hat, setting them gently nearby.

"No, not at all; though it's been a while since I've had chai tea. I don't have the time to make it myself, and Spike doesn't like making it all that much either since it's a bit more involved than other teas."

"I can't say that I've ever tried making it, but I do enjoy it immensely. Especially the way they prepare it here."

They lapsed into a brief, comfortable silence as they examined all the interesting things in the room around them. Twilight's eye was soon caught by a chess set sitting on a nearby table. Both sides of the pleasantly carved set were in position, carefully aligned, waiting for the other's opening gambit.

Seeing what had drawn Twilight's attention , Luna asked, "Do you play?"

Twilight smirked a bit. "A little," she admitted, memories of her various blue ribbons as a filly filling her head.

"Shall we have a game while we wait?"

"Sure."

Luna floated the set over to their table, rotating it so that she was the night side, naturally, allowing Twilight to be the day, and thus have the first move. After a moment's consideration, she sent out her pawn, beginning the classic Giuoco Piano opening.

Twenty or so minutes later and Twilight had lost three of her pawns while Luna had give up several pawns, as well as a rook and a knight. Early in the game the princess been on the attack, but Twilight had shifted the momentum and Luna was now playing very defensively, and Twilight was about to make her pay for it.

Luna unconsciously worried the corner of her lower lip as she studied the chessboard, trying to decide on the least damaging move. Twilight spent this time studying Luna and found her state of unease, and the undivided attention she was paying her remaining pieces more than a little endearing, especially since her uncertain expression was such a striking contrast to her normally collected persona. It made her want to both comfort her, and to keep pushing her at the same time.

Luna was still weighing her options when a bell mounted on a far wall began to chime. With a sigh of relief, Luna turned her attention away from the game, over to a small door beneath the bell. She slid it open to reveal the ropes and pulleys associated with a dumb waiter, along with a large, heavy tea set. She levitated the heavily encumbered platter over to their table, setting it down gently enough to cause the pieces on the chessboard to wobble only slightly.

The teacups were wider and deeper than Twilight was used to, neither of them matching the other, both filled with a creamy brown, slightly frothy tea. The steam that curled up from them was aromatic, rich with the promise of spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and many more in a medley too complex for Twilight to differentiate.

Luna floated one of the cups, and the saucer it sat upon, over to her and took a small, expeditionary sip. She smiled in satisfaction. "Exactly how I like it."

More relaxed than before, she finally made her move, and almost immediately Twilight countered. "Check." While Luna regarded the board in surprise and tried to get her mind back into the game, Twilight sampled her own cup of tea. It was still almost scaldingly hot, but the temperature was bearable in small doses. The first thing that Twilight noticed, aside from the temperature, was the sweetness. The tea was much sweeter than what she had been expecting, but it was balanced by the rich mixture of spices blended in. Mostly. It was an interesting drink, she decided. Not bad, just different.

With slow deliberateness, Luna chose her move. Unfortunately for her, there were only three ways out of the check Twilight had put her in, and none of them would leave her in a good position. Twilight turned her attention back to the board and emotionlessly announced, "checkmate," as she closed her trap.

Luna looked down at the board in surprise, studying her princess and all the options no longer left to her. After a few moments, in an odd voice, she observed, "You won."

Twilight couldn't quite tell whether Luna was upset over the loss or not. With an awkward, neutral smile, she replied, "Well, yeah. You played well, but when you over-thought many of your moves and fell into Kotov's syndrome."

"I see," Luna said, still oddly calm, but then she broke into a determined smile. "I'm not familiar with this Kotov, but I think I can do better. Would you like to play again?"

They ended up playing three more games, each longer than the last. The third game Luna had won, by a back-rank check, using the abundance of Twilight's pieces on the board against her. The fourth game had lasted for quite some time, and Twilight frowned when she couldn't see a way forward which Luna couldn't counter. Conversely, Luna had no way to press an attack without leaving herself vulnerable. They were at a stalemate. Her lips twisted in resignation, Twilight looked up and asked, "Another game?"

Luna chuckled and replied, "No, I think I'll keep what dignity I have left and quit for today. I'll have to spend more time practicing before we play again, so that I can offer you a worthy challenge."

Twilight leaned back from the table and chuckled. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You played better than most ponies would have. I don't want to brag, but I am a pretty good chess player. I've even won a few competitions, years ago."

Luna archly raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see. You're one of those ponies who prey upon innocent princesses; playing a few games to build up their confidence, and then raising the stakes only to defeat them soundly."

Twilight regarded Luna askance for a moment before she broke out laughing. "What kind of stories have you been reading?" she asked while setting the chess pieces back as they'd found them.

"Well, I thought it was a biographical tale of a maid. However, I don't think there are any ponies quite that ... wanton in real life."Still chuckling, Twilight set the chessboard back down on the table they'd taken it from.

Luna poured herself another cup of tea, reminding Twilight that her own cup was cold and nearly empty. The teapot was light, and as she poured another cup for herself, she noticed a few sediments slip in. She set the teapot down and contemplatively swirled her cup, mixing the tea and waiting for it to cool as they lapsed into a comfortable silence, the reddish-orange light of evening coloring the sky overhead.

In the muted, quiet atmosphere, the only sounds that filled the room were their slow, soft breaths. As if the entire world had moved on, leaving them there in that moment.

Twilight looked up from her tea to find Luna leaning heavily on the table, regarding her with half-lidded eyes, as if she were studying a Rainbowrant or a Moneigh. Absently, almost as if she were somniloquizing, she said, "I wish this could last forever."

"So do I," Twilight replied with a soft, sad laugh. "But we'll probably have to get back to the palace one of these days."

"And then?"

"Well, we have a party to get ready for tomorrow -"

"And after that?" Luna asked, oddly insistent, unnervingly focused compared to a moment earlier.

Twilight's smile fell somewhat. "Then I'll go back to Ponyville and you'll go back ruling Equestria like normal. Don't worry though, I'll still write every day and we can get together again. You can come visit me in Ponyville or I can come back and visit you in Canterlot. Or, maybe we can go on a trip together, someplace neither of us has ever been, that we could explore together."

"And what then, Twilight?" Luna asked, almost mournfully. "What dreams do you have? Where will the future find us? Do you plan on spending your whole life in Ponyville?"

Twilight blinked, unprepared for Luna's question, and not really sure where she was coming from, what answer she was expecting. "I-I'm not sure, I guess. I haven't really thought about it. I mean, that might not be all that bad. Ponyville's a great place and all, er, most of my friends live there." Luna's face didn't change, but Twilight could nonetheless feel her disapproval from across the table. "But, like I said, I haven't really thought about it." Nervously she laughed. "It's just, I don't know, all my life I've been in school, and I never really had to think about the future all that much. I just got used to it all being mapped out already. I just needed to study and pass tests and move from one grade to the next, from one school to another. When I moved to Ponyville, it felt like the same thing, like it was another test, another grade that Princess Celestia had moved me to. I suppose I've just been waiting for Princess Celestia to tell me what to do next, to tell me when I'd passed." She laughed again, this time sadly and without any humor. "It sounds kind of silly when I put it that way."

Luna's eyes had softened and she sighed remorsefully. "No, it sounds completely understandable. I never went to school, but on many occasions I've lost sight of the distant future in favor of the short term. I know how it can feel, focusing on tomorrow and letting next year care for itself. I sometimes find myself envying ponies who are able to live day-to-day, who go their entire lives without a thought for the future. Like beautiful, colorful butterflies who know only summer."

Luna was speaking low, softly, and growing pensive. To lighten the mode, Twilight tried her hoof at humor. "I don't think there's anypony who doesn't worry about the future, at least somewhat. But I don't think anypony could think about it as much as you and Princess Celestia do. After all, nopony will live as long as you two. Long enough for the future to become the present, for the future worries to become today's."

"But what if you could?" Luna asked, her eyes catching Twilight's with a fierce intensity. "What would you do if you could live as long as we do, Twilight?"

It felt as if there was some unseen weight behind the question, and rather than answer glibly, Twilight turned her eyes to the side and thought for a few moments. Slowly she replied, "I'm not sure if I'd want to. It would be fascinating to see how Equestria changes in the future. To be there to see ponies discover new inventions, new magic, to revolutionize the world in ways we haven't even thought of. But at the same time, what about my friends, my family? I'd hate to watch them grow older, until my friends are all Granny Smith's age while I'm still young and eternal. And after that, when they're gone, I'd be all alone. There might be other ponies who'll come after them, but they're irreplaceable." She said it simply, feeling as if she'd suddenly been dragged to the edge of a cliff at the edge of an endless sea of sorrow.

"You'd still have me. And Celestia," Luna softly offered.

Twilight refocused on the present and smiled kindly. "I know. But still, I think I'd like to live forever only if I didn't know how to love, how to feel. So I could watch the march of time without growing too attached to any one part of it. I guess that's why you and Princess Celestia are princesses. You're the only ponies I know who could handle the weight of so much responsibility."

Luna's head was bowed, and she seemed broken somehow as she stared into the depths of her tea. "I see," she said quietly.

The afternoon seemed dimmer and the silence which stretched between them felt cold and impenetrable. Twilight wasn't sure what had changed, but felt that something she'd said had upset Luna. Unfortunately she wasn't sure what it had been, so she held her silence lest she hurt her friend further. She quietly drank her tea while Luna left hers untouched and allowed it to grow cold.

After several long minutes, with a shaky sigh, Luna looked up from the table to the skylights overhead, the evening light making her eyes appear red ringed. "It's growing late, we should probably return to the palace."

"Okay," Twilight gently replied. She gathered her saddlebags and hat while Luna stood and deposited a bag full of bits on the table without bothering to count them.

Twilight had started for the door when Luna spoke up, "I don't feel much like walking. For some reason the palace feels further away tonight than normal."

"Oh. Do you want to fly back then?" Twilight asked, her thoughts returning to the last time Luna had flown with her, when they'd soared above the Everfree laughing.

Luna's eyes looked haunted and remorseful. "No. Not tonight. I think I'll teleport us instead."

"Are you sure? Doesn't it take a lot of power to teleport two ponies so far?"

"Power and resolve. Both of which I have in abundance at the moment since I'm devoid of anything else." Luna closed her eyes and her horn glowed, navy blue slipping into black. Around the room, the shadows began to gather and coalesce, spinning faster and faster around one another as they bunched together in front of Luna. Eventually they were spinning so quickly that they formed a large oval, solid and black like the empty space between two stars.

Luna opened her eyes and there was an emotion there that caused an icy shiver to pass through Twilight, a mixture of pain and resignation. She took a few steps forward to say something meaningful, but her words abandoned her, and she found that she could do little more than wrap her hooves around Luna's neck and hold her in a tight embrace. "Whatever it is, it'll be okay, Luna."

Luna didn't respond. Instead she rested her face on Twilight's shoulder and Twilight could feel a repressed shudder run through her. At length she whispered, "I don't know how much longer I can hold it. Please go, Twilight."

Reluctantly Twilight let go and walked to the portal. She looked back at Luna with uncertainty as she stepped through. It was like stepping into an airless void. It was so dark that Twilight couldn't tell whether her eyes were still open or not. There was absolute silence, as if the world had ended, or hadn't begun, and all of existence was suffused with a still, silent nothingness. At the same time though, something pressed against her, pounding her like the force of a mighty waterfall trying to sweep her away. As if the empty universe were pushing her away with all its might, trying to expel her and all she represented by merely existing. At first it pushed at her, and then it pulled, and without any idea of how she'd come there, Twilight found herself tumbling into Luna's suite back at the palace.

She steadied herself and looked back to find Luna sedately stepping out of the ebony portal, identical to the one they'd entered. Behind her the portal disappeared as the shadows making it up split and swiftly scattered to the corners of the room. Luna's neck was bowed in defeat, her mane and tail drooping as if pulled down by the weight of the world. With listless carelessness, she tossed both her new sunglasses and the package for Celestia to a nearby table.

"I had fun today," Twilight said hopefully.

Luna lifted her head and smiled sadly. "I did too." Twilight opened her mouth to comment that she didn't exactly look like she'd had a wonderful time, but was forestalled by Luna continuing, "Though, perhaps I've ... overextended myself. I'm afraid that I'm not very good company at the moment. Please believe me though, today was one of the most wonderful that I've had in quite some time."

"I'm sorry; I forgot how late it must be for you. Please, if you're tired, get some rest. I'll just go ahead and go back to my room. But I'd really like it if we could spend tomorrow together too."

"I'd like that," Luna replied with an attempt at a smile. "Good night, Twilight."

"Good night, Luna." Twilight slowly walked over to the door, and on the threshold she paused to look back. Shadows cloaked the room, except for the spot Luna stood, her eyes shining bright and baleful in the darkness. Twilight turned away quickly. She knew that there was something else bothering Luna, beyond exhaustion. She also knew that whatever it was, it likely was her fault, and simply by being there, she was somehow hurting her. Perhaps Luna simply needed time alone to settle her thoughts.

Twilight opened the door with a pull of her magic and was surprised to find Princess Celestia on the other side, her hoof raised in preparation to knock. "Ah, hello, Twilight," She said with a brilliant smile. "Hello Luna ..." she looked up from Twilight toward her sister and she trailed off as her smile faded.

Twilight whispered, "I think I said something that upset her. I don't know what it was, but maybe you should talk to her, cheer her up."

"I'll do my best," Princess Celestia whispered back as she brushed past Twilight into Luna's room. Twilight looked after her, feeling conflicted. She wanted to help Luna, but wasn't sure how. If there was anypony who could, it was Princess Celestia, so at least Twilight knew she was in the best hooves possible. She just wished that those hooves were hers. Silently she closed the door behind her and set off down the palace corridors toward the guest rooms, frowning thoughtfully.

The late evening sunlight peeped through the cracks of the curtains, casting amber beams over the many shades of blue which decorated the room. Luna stood in an island of darkness at the far end of the room, her head turned away and her mane falling like a wall between her and the rest of the world. Though she couldn't see her face, Celestia could see from her tense but defeated body language that something had upset her badly.

"Hello, Luna," Celestia called out again, this time without any cheerfulness in her voice. However, her words didn't elicit so much as an ear twitch from her sister. Slowly, carefully, Celestia crossed the room as if she were approaching a wounded tiger, warily swishing its tail back and forth.

Though her steps were silent as she crossed the deep pile carpet, Luna's head cocked slightly when she'd come to within a length of her, causing Celestia to pause. Still without turning to face her, Luna sighed and her shoulders slumped further. In a defeated tone she said, "You were right, Celestia. As usual. Even if I can overcome the natural order, I still can't overcome nature, pony nature."

Far from feeling triumphant, Celestia was filled with worry and asked with concern, "Why? What happened, Luna?" She closed the distance between them and comfortingly stood by her side. "Did you tell her how you felt?" She asked with trepidation. Celestia thought back to a moment ago. Twilight had been too composed to have knowingly caused Luna any pain like that.

"No. No, not yet. But it might be a moot point. I asked her about the future. About what she would do if she could live as long as we us. And she said that she didn't want to. That she'd prefer to live and die with her friends and family rather than to watch them grow old and fade away, powerless to stop it." Luna turned to look up at Celestia with tear filled eyes. "Like us."

Celestia's heart went out to Luna. Seeing her about to cry was causing tears to well up in her own eyes. But, she had to be strong for her sake. With a compassionate, "Oh, Luna," she gathered her into a tight embrace. Luna collapsed into the hug, burying her face in Celestia's mane. "I don't want her to leave me, Celestia, but she doesn't want to stay."

"It'll be all right," Celestia said comfortingly as she rocked them both back and forth slightly. "You know she didn't mean it that way."

"I know she didn't, but I never thought that she, that anypony would rather die than live forever."

Thinking back over the many years she'd lived and the many ponies she'd known, Celestia quietly sighed. "But they do want to live forever. Nopony wants to die, but the ponies in Equestria are special and don't want to see those that they love die either. Most ponies come to accept the cycle of life and death and their place in it. Instead of worrying about the future, they instead try to live each day to the fullest and with all their hearts."

Luna pulled back away from Celestia, her red rimmed eyes searching Celestia's face for answers. "And where's our place in it, Celestia, the cycle of life and death? Why are we the only ones who have to witness pony after pony being born, live, and then die?" She shook her head uncomprehendingly and stepped further away. "Twilight said something that reminded me of you. She told me that she could only live forever if she couldn't love. At least not in the way that other ponies love. Maybe both of you are right. Maybe it's impossible to live as long as we do and to be truly, madly, deeply in love."

"No," Celestia sighed. She stepped forward and tenderly kissed away the tears on Luna's cheeks. "It's not impossible. It's just painful."

A bit more composed, but still downcast, Luna whispered, "I'm not afraid of the pain, no matter how long it lasts. I'm afraid of what comes after the pain. The numbness, the acceptance, the forgetting. Do you remember Countess Red Velvet, Baron Rain Whisper, Lightning Whisper? I can't. I can barely remember their names. For the life of me I can't remember their faces, their voices, the color of their manes, not even their cutie marks. I didn't love them as I love Twilight, but how long does it take to start to forget a pony, their face, the color of their mane, their laugh? How long until they become nothing but a dull memory, or a memory of a memory? A millennium, two, ten?"

Celestia smiled sadly, a familiar ache in her heart. "I'll be sure to let you know when I find out."

Realization flooded Luna's eyes, and abashedly she said, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're right. Memories are ephemeral, even the most powerful of them. But if you truly love somepony, I don't think you can ever fully forget them. When you least expect it, a smell, a sound, the way the light glints from a stained window will remind you of their smile, or the way the sunlight played in their mane, and it hurts so badly, and feels so painfully wonderful."

Luna sighed again. "But I don't want to lose her Celestia. I can't hold a memory in my hooves. I can't kiss a recollection. Maybe you're right. Maybe it's better to love and die than to love and live. Maybe if it's possible to turn a normal pony into an alicorn, it might be possible -"

"Don't," Celestia said sternly but pleadingly. Desperation led ponies to think strange things, and she was deathly afraid of what a desperate Luna could be capable of. "Please don't think that way, Luna. It was painful enough to be separated from you for a thousand years. I don't know what I'd do if you were gone forever."

Luna's brow scrunched in vexation. "I'm sorry, but it's just so frustrating. Why can't love be easy?"

Celestia could only smile in resignation and offered, "Because then it wouldn't be worth it." Seeing Luna so dejected caused her heart to contract painfully. She gently stepped closer and folded her into an embrace with her soft, warm wings and led her over toward the large bed.

Sensing that Luna needed some encouragement to bring her out of her depression, Celestia lightly asked, "Have you ever heard the story of the gryphon and the cat?"

Unprepared for the odd question, Luna answered questioningly, and in a more normal tone of voice, "No, I don't believe so."

They settled down on the edge of Luna's soft, luxurious bed. "Well, a long time ago there lived a dragon who'd amassed a huge fortune, one famous throughout the land. While he was indeed rich, his most prized possession was his pet cat, which he loved dearly. He thought it was the finest, the smartest, most wonderful cat in the whole world. It could perform all sorts of impressive feats, like algebra. But there was one thing the cat couldn't do that the dragon would pay any price for. It couldn't speak. The dragon wanted to know that the cat knew how much he loved it, and to know what it was the cat thought about all day.

"So, he made a promise. Anypony who could teach his cat how to speak would be rewarded with whatever price they named. But to discourage opportunists from needlessly harassing his beloved pet, he also promised that he would eat anypony who tried and failed."

Luna was paying rapt attention to Celestia's story, but she interrupted to comment, "That seems rather barbaric, even for a dragon."

"It was a different time," Celestia breezily replied. "The dragon hadn't amassed his wealth by being the most agreeable creature around. Needless to say, nopony took him up on his offer because everypony knows that teaching a cat to speak is impossible and nopony wanted to be eaten."

Seeing Luna take a breath to interrupt again, no doubt with one of the many spells that could be used to let a cat talk, Celestia pressed on. "However, at the time, there was a poor gryphon who had no home and drifted from village to village, relying on the kindness of others. Hearing of the dragon's offer, she saw it as a chance to finally make a home for herself. So she went to the dragon and said that she could teach his cat to talk. But, she told him that it wouldn't be a simple process. It would take her a year, during which she had to have complete focus on the lessons, so she couldn't worry about where she was to sleep from night to night, or where her next meal would be coming from.

"Her words made sense to the dragon and he agreed to her terms. When the ponies who lived near the dragon's lair found out about the deal, they came and asked the gryphon why she'd made such a deal. Didn't she know it was impossible for a cat to talk and that in a year she'd be eaten? She replied that for the first time in her life she had a place to call home, a roof over her head, and the finest meals known to ponydom. And she had a year. A lot can happen in a year; maybe the dragon would find a new project and release her from her promise. Maybe the cat would die, maybe the dragon would die, or maybe, the cat would talk."

Luna was frowning, but it was thoughtful and suited her much better than her tears from earlier. "Was that a true story, or was it a parable? Either way parts of it -"

Celestia couldn't help herself and chuckled. Luna had a wonderful mind for detail, but it sometimes didn't allow her to see the larger picture. "The important part of the story is that nopony can know the future, Luna. As long as we're alive, there's always hope. Maybe today Twilight is content with her life as it is now. But she might change her mind tomorrow. Neither she nor we are going anywhere for many years to come. I'm sure that with enough time you can persuade her Luna, or maybe we can find some other solution. Things will work out, you'll see. You haven't even told her how you feel about her yet. That will give her a lot to think about." Celestia smirked. "Although if you want to change her mind, I'd suggest writing a research paper in APA style, it's her favorite."

Luna's ears had pricked up, and based on her slightly absent gaze, the simple fact that Twilight's decision might not be set in stone hadn't occurred to her, and she was busy examining all the possibilities. Slowly a tentative hope dawned in her eyes. But when she looked back at Celestia, it was with a questioning frown. "I thought you were against my relationship with Twilight."

Celestia felt her smile slip as she remembered their argument and her resolution from earlier in the day. "To be honest, I can't say that I support it." She gave Luna a squeeze with her wing and a reassuring smile. "But I do support you. Even if I don't agree with the direction you're going, when it's all said and done, I'll always be here for you."

Luna smiled tenuously and whispered, "Thank you. That means more to me than you'll ever know." She laid her head down on Celestia's shoulder and snuggled closer to her.

Celestia was thankful that Luna was in no position to see the goofy smile she knew she must be wearing. She leaned down and planted a soft kiss on top of Luna's head before resting her own head on the same spot.

The sun had been waiting on the horizon for a few minutes, and with a thought, Celestia pushed it over the edge and made way for the night. She felt a spark, and Luna's horn flared to life before her eyes, sending a familiar tingle through her. The light from Luna's magic faded, and over the next few minutes, so too did the light coming in around the drapes. Softly the night arrived.

Beneath her, almost inaudibly, Celestia heard Luna ask, "Celestia?"

"Yes?" she softly murmured back.

In a small voice, Luna asked, "Could you stay with me? I don't want to face the darkness alone tonight."

"Of course I will."

Celestia could feel the tension leave Luna's body as she replied, "Thank you."

Celestia closed her eyes. For the next several minutes the only sound in the room was their steadily slowing breathing and, thanks to her position, the beating of Luna's heart.

Eventually another quiet "Celestia?" broke the silence

Once again she asked, "Yes?"

"Did the gryphon teach the cat how to speak, or did the dragon eat her."

Celestia smiled wistfully at the question. It reminded her of a time long, long ago, when both she and Luna were much younger. "Yes, the cat learned to speak, and the dragon was so overjoyed that he invited the gryphon to live with him permanently. They grew to be the best of friends, and all three of them lived happily ever after."

Her speech thick with sleep, Luna replied, "Good. I'm glad. Good night Celestia."

"Good night, Luna."

In silence they welcomed the night together, and drifted off into their own dreams.

* * *

><p>Thank you Pyrite, Lambotrist, and Axis of Rotation for looking this over.<p>

I'm sure you're all wondering why this chapter took so long.

Anyway, for those curious, the working title for this one ended up being: Don't let N-2 side B v2-3.

So, instead of making two more chapters, I'm just going to throw everything into one final chapter and end this thing once and for all. I'm not sure how long it will take, but trust me, this story will be finished.


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